Targets - Game 16 - Eagles

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2011/01/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-6.html

And so it ends...

The Cowboys offense put up another 4,000 yard season through the air, but obviously, the efficiency was not at its best as the season wound down. Jon Kitna is not Tony Romo and Stephen McGee is not Jon Kitna, either.

But, the season was lost long before Halloween, so it was what it was.

In the final game, we saw just how difficult a passing attack can have it on the road - even against the reserves of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys just were not interested in rolling the dice to move the football down the field through the air and I am not sure anyone will blame them.

Meanwhile, on 3rd and 4th Down, things really were tough. A long WR screen to Austin in the 1st and a TD pass to Witten in the 4th were pretty much the only things that the Cowboys accomplished on the money down.

Target Distribution: - Game 16 at Philadelphia

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	3	2	62	2/0/0	109.7
Witten	9	4	46	1/1/0	97.4
Jones	1	1	-4	0/0/0	79.2
Choice	2	0	0	0/0/0	39.6
Bennett	3	2	11	1/0/0	72.9
Johnson	4	1	6	0/0/0	39.6
Williams	3	1	6	0/0/0	39.6
Totals	25	11	127	3/1/0	73.3

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 16 at Philadelphia

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	5	1	4	0/1/0	79.2
Austin	2	1	31	1/0/0	95.8
Johnson	3	1	6	0/0/0	42.4
Williams	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	11	3	41	1/1/0	72.9

Table Tutorial

And now, here are the season totals for 2010....Very interesting things to see here

===============

Maybe the things that jump out the most are Witten's amazingly consistent totals, Roy Williams numbers being below Patrick Crayton's 2009, and Martellus Bennett having another season without any sign of that "breakout" season that we all forecasted.


Target Distribution - Season Totals

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	128	94	1002	38/9/3	109.6
Austin	119	69	1041	43/7/6	85.5
Bryant	72	45	561	21/6/2	102.8
Williams	64	37	538	20/5/5	78.8
Jones	52	48	450	14/1/1	101.1
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	22	17	109	6/0/0	87.1
Bennett	48	33	260	11/0/2	64.6
Ogletree	6	3	34	2/0/0	67.3
Hurd	21	14	120	9/0/0	81.4
Gronkowski	10	7	35	1/0/0	75
Johnson	5	1	6	0/0/0	39.6
Totals	570	379	4251	169/29/19	91.6

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season Totals

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	45	29	287	14/5/3	91.6
Austin	34	23	363	16/2/1	110.3
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	15	8	159	6/1/0	112.9
Bennett	6	5	33	1/0/0	89.6
Choice	8	7	51	3/0/0	93.2
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	8	5	51	4/0/0	80.7
Ogletree	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.3
Johnson	3	1	6	0/0/0	42.3
Totals	153	101	1227	54/13/5	72.9

Table Tutorial

================================

And, for fun, let's put the 2009 Totals on here, too:

2009 Season Target Distribution To Date:

Name	Targets	Catches	%	Yards	FD/TD/INT
Witten	124	94	76%	1030	46/2/3
Austin	124	81	65%	1320	43/11/2
Williams	86	38	44%	596	21/7/1
Crayton	67	37	54%	622	20/5/2
Barber	36	26	72%	222	11/0/0
Bennett	30	15	50%	159	8/0/0
Choice	22	15	68%	132	7/0/0
Jones	22	19	86%	112	5/0/0
Hurd	12	7	58%	132	3/1/1
Phillips	9	6	67%	62	3/0/0
Ogletree	8	7	87%	96	5/0/0
Anderson	3	1	33%	5	0/0/
Totals	543	347	64%	4483	178/26/9

Table Tutorial

And then here are the 2009 totals for 3rd Downs:

3rd Down Targets - 2009 Season Totals

Name	Targets	Catches	%	Yards	FD/TD/INT
Witten	34	24	70%	210	16/1/0
Austin	32	20	63%	321	14/2/0
Williams	27	9	33%	151	8/0/0
Crayton	24	15	63%	214	13/1/2
Choice	10	7	70%	60	3/0/0
Hurd	5	2	40%	63	2/0/0
Bennett	5	1	20%	15	1/0/0
Ogletree	4	4	100%	58	3/0/0
Barber	2	0	0%	0	0/0/0
Jones	2	1	100%	5	0/0/0
Phillips	1	0	0%	0	0/0/0
Totals	147	83	56%	1090	57/4/3

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Game 15 - Cardinals

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-5.html

Any week where you give away 2 interceptions for Touchdowns, you face an extremely difficult mountain to climb to try to pull a victory out of the fire. They also suffered 5 sacks, so from a production standpoint, this was not going to be pretty. An overall passer rating of below 75 demonstrated the difficulty of a team playing with a 2nd and then a 3rd QB, and missing Dez Bryant.

What the Cowboys did get done was mostly done on 3rd and 4th Down. This has saved their bacon plenty this year, and that trend continued on Saturday.

Here are the numbers from Game #15:

Target Distribution: - Game 15 vs Arizona

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	13	6	115	4/1/1	71.0
Witten	11	8	45	2/1/0	110.0
Jones	1	1	11	1/0/0	112.5
Choice	3	3	16	1/0/0	88.9
Bennett	5	3	22	0/0/0	70.4
Hurd	2	2	17	1/0/0	102.1
Williams	2	0	0	0/0/1	0
Totals	37	23	226	9/2/2	74.8

Table Tutorial

Now look at the make or break downs. Another big 4th Down TD to Witten and some very nice conversions in the 2nd Half from McGee.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 15 vs Arizona

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	5	4	22	2/1/0	124.6
Austin	4	2	37	2/0/0	82.3
Hurd	1	1	13	1/0/0	118.7
Choice	2	2	13	1/0/0	93.75
Williams	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	13	9	85	6/1/0	112.7

Table Tutorial

Here are the season numbers for the receivers: It is amazing what sort of statistical comeback Witten has had in the last few months after a very slow start.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	119	90	956	37/8/3	110.5
Austin	116	67	979	41/7/6	83.9
Bryant	72	45	561	21/6/2	102.8
Williams	61	36	532	20/5/5	80.7
Jones	51	47	454	14/1/1	102.1
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	20	17	109	6/0/0	89.3
Bennett	45	31	249	10/0/2	64.0
Ogletree	6	3	34	2/0/0	67.3
Hurd	21	14	120	9/0/0	81.4
Gronkowski	10	7	35	1/0/0	75
Johnson	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	545	368	4124	166/28/19	92.4

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	40	28	283	14/4/3	92.0
Austin	32	22	332	15/2/1	110.4
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	14	8	159	6/1/0	120.8
Bennett	6	5	33	1/0/0	89.6
Choice	8	7	51	3/0/0	93.2
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	8	5	51	4/0/0	80.7
Ogletree	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.3
Totals	142	98	1186	53/12/5	107.9

Table Tutorial

1 week to go before we close the books (some might say, thankfully) on 2010.

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Game 14 - Redskins

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-4.html

Death, Taxes, and Jason Witten.

There are certainties and then there are absolute certainties. Jason Witten is someone who is so certain in his results that we actually are guilty of not writing about him enough.

But, here we are, in a season where many of us were very concerned with how his season began. For reasons that were difficult to explain, his production while Tony Romo was present in the game was shockingly low. Through 5.5 games this season, Jason Witten had 38 targets, 23 catches, 270 yards, 1 TD, 3 INTs on passes thrown to him, and a putrid QB Rating of 58.0.

This had us all wondering what was happening. The most consistent Cowboys performer of our generation was not performing to his level of awesomeness.

Had he lost a step? Had the wear and tear on his body started to catch up to him? Can he no longer present a mismatch conflict where LBs are too slow and Safeties are too small? We have theories as to why Jon Kitna and Miles Austin don't connect, but Romo and Witten? That is as money a combination as almost anybody in this league. What was happening?

We may never know what was wrong there, but beginning in Game 6, 2 things changed. Romo got hurt and Kitna began to pound the ball at #82. Now, you know my theory - Kitna's arm is one that loves to rely on the throw in the middle of the field and take what is given to him. He is not going to throw sideline to sideline both shallow and deep. He cannot and will not attempt to do that.

So, here comes #82. Since Game 6, look at this: 70 Targets, 59 Catches, 641 yards, 6 TDs, and 0 INTs. A QB Rating over the next 9 games of 133! Shockingly awesome.

The rumors of his decline appear to be greatly exaggerated.

He has plenty of miles on his tires, but at the age of 28, it is much too early to proclaim that it is time to move on to the next one.

So, now you look at his body of work for the season and see that he is what he always is: money in the bank. It appears that he will have another 90-catch, 1000-yard season and this year, unlike 2009, he will get in the end zone a bunch. He has tied a career high with 7 TDs, and obviously has 2 more games to go find #8.


Target Distribution: - Game 14 vs Washington

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	7	3	38	2/1/0	100.0
Witten	12	10	140	4/1/0	143.0
Jones	3	2	47	2/0/0	109.7
Choice	5	4	31	2/0/0	92.5
Bennett	2	1	2	0/0/0	56.25
Johnson	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	6	4	35	3/0/0	81.9
Gronkowski	1	1	12	1/0/0	116.6
Totals	37	25	305	14/2/0	110.75

Table Tutorial

Manny Johnson is now officially in the database.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 14 vs Washington

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	2	1	7	1/0/0	58.3
Choice	2	2	19	1/0/0	106.25
Witten	5	5	58	2/1/0	154.58
Totals	10	8	84	4/1/0	135.0

Table Tutorial

And now, a look at the season numbers where Witten has caught and passed Miles Austin in all of the categories.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	108	82	911	35/7/3	110.5
Austin	103	61	864	37/6/5	85.57
Bryant	72	45	561	21/6/2	102.8
Williams	59	36	532	20/5/4	90.5
Jones	50	46	443	13/1/1	101.9
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	17	14	93	5/0/0	89.5
Bennett	40	28	227	10/0/2	63.2
Ogletree	6	3	34	2/0/0	67.3
Hurd	19	12	103	8/0/0	77.3
Gronkowski	10	7	35	1/0/0	75
Johnson	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	508	345	3898	157/26/17	93.76

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Witten	35	24	261	12/3/3	83.2
Austin	28	20	295	13/2/1	114.4
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	13	8	159	6/1/0	129.9
Bennett	6	5	33	1/0/0	89.6
Choice	6	5	38	2/0/0	93.1
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	7	4	38	3/0/0	72.3
Ogletree	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.3
Totals	129	89	1101	47/11/5	107.4

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 13 - Philadelphia

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/12/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-3.html

The Cowboys are getting very reasonable production from their Backup QB during this stretch without starter Tony Romo. The truth is that there are not 32 QBs in this league who cause defenses problems, so the idea that everyone believes each team should have 2 good ones is silly and unrealistic. Many teams would love to have 1 QB. The Cowboys had no backup in 2008 when Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger held the position so we know what backup QB play can look like. Kitna has been fine for the most part.

However, the longer we go into this, the more we see why the NFL no longer believed Jon was a viable starter. Because of his diminishing ability to distribute the ball across the field, defenses sit on his strengths and make him try to beat them by throwing to places that make him uncomfortable. They attempt to shrink the field for him, and when you play a defense that is well designed, you see that the Cowboys offense becomes a series of throws underneath - mostly to Tight Ends and Running Backs for small yardage over and over.

Look at the QB Ratings to his starting Wide Receivers. Miles Austin (14.1) and Roy Williams (28.1) show a QB Rating that tells you his efficiency to the outside is lacking. Both of his INTs were to WRs and they could not make up for those picks with positive plays to the edge. The big receptions were a screen to Felix, a seam route to Witten, and not much else.

The Cowboys miss Tony Romo. There is no reason to hurry him back in 2010, but this idea that the offense runs the same without him is nonsense.

Target Distribution: - Game 13 vs Philadelphia

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	5	2	22	1/0/1	14.1
Witten	7	7	69	2/2/0	147.3
Williams	4	2	23	1/0/1	28.1
Jones	4	4	42	1/0/0	110.4
Choice	1	1	17	1/0/0	118.7
Bennett	5	4	30	2/0/0	91.6
Ogletree	5	3	34	2/0/0	80.4
Hurd	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.3
Totals	33	24	242	11/2/2	88.1

Table Tutorial

Against the Giants and Colts, Kitna had been making all of the throws on 3rd Down. The Eagles limited him on the money down and that was the big difference in this game.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 13 vs Philadelphia

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	2	0	0	0/0/1	0
Bennett	3	2	17	1/0/0	81.3
Williams	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Witten	1	1	1	0/1/0	118.7
Ogletree	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.2
Totals	9	4	23	2/1/1	49.1

Table Tutorial

Let's take a look at the completion percentage to each of the WRs in 2010: Miles Austin catches 60.4% of the passes thrown in his direction, Roy Williams is at 61%, and Dez Bryant is at 62% to show that there is almost no fluctuation from man to man this year. 2009 had Miles Austin at 65%, Patrick Crayton at 54%, and Roy Williams at the bottom of the NFL with a 44% catch rate. Jason Witten is at 75% for 2010, after a 76% 2009.

The big difference in the passing game this season is the jump in interceptions. In 2009, there were only 9 all year. The Cowboys are already sitting at 17 on the season and with 3 weeks to play, that number will likely go up more. Last season, no receiver had more than 3 Interceptions on balls targeted for them. But, we see that Miles Austin has had 5 Interceptions in his direction and Roy Williams 4 on balls intended for him already this season.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	96	58	826	35/5/5	83.9
Witten	96	72	771	31/6/3	105.8
Bryant	72	45	561	21/6/2	102.8
Williams	59	36	532	20/5/4	90.5
Jones	47	44	396	11/1/1	100
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	12	10	62	3/0/0	88.2
Bennett	38	27	225	10/0/2	64.0
Ogletree	6	3	34	2/0/0	67.3
Hurd	13	8	68	5/0/0	75.2
Gronkowski	9	6	23	0/0/0	79.1
Totals	471	320	3593	143/24/17	92.4

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	27	20	295	13/2/1	118.6
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	13	8	159	6/1/0	129.9
Witten	30	19	203	10/2/3	65.7
Bennett	6	5	33	1/0/0	89.6
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	5	3	31	2/0/0	77.9
Ogletree	2	1	5	1/0/0	56.3
Totals	119	81	1017	43/10/5	104.9

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 12 - Colts

The Cowboys lost Dez Bryant on Sunday to an injury that has claimed the remainder of his rookie season. But, the book on Dez Bryant says that remarkable things happened in a rookie year that included just 12 games and no preseason. Looking back, I remember that many of us claimed that missing preseason would doom much of his rookie year. Why? Because it should. You should not be able to miss all of preseason as a rookie (especially when you miss almost the entire final year at college, too) and still have such a great year.

He finishes with 45 catches on 72 targets for 561 yards and team-leading 6 TDs. The QB Rating on balls thrown to Bryant is also a team-high, at 102.8. I believe the Cowboys have seen all they have to see that they have not blown this 1st Round pick. He has been wonderful and clearly has the most promising of futures for the Cowboys.

Target Distribution: - Game 12 at Indianapolis

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	8	4	47	3/0/0	68.2
Bryant	3	1	14	1/0/0	49.3
Witten	5	5	42	3/1/0	141.25
Williams	2	2	32	2/0/0	118.7
Jones	3	3	8	0/0/0	79.1
Choice	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	3	3	24	1/0/0	100
Hurd	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	25	18	167	10/1/0	103.2

Table Tutorial

It was not a performance filled with fireworks for Jon Kitna. But, he did a nice job of complimenting a 200-yard rushing day by not turning the ball over, making a few key throws at key moments, and driving the bus. And, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that kind of day from your QB.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 12 vs Indianapolis

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	2	1	7	1/0/0	58.3
Bryant	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Williams	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Witten	3	3	32	2/1/0	150.7
Hurd	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	6	4	39	3/1/0	124.5

Table Tutorial

Most interesting was the timing of the Kitna throws. Like in New York, we see that so much of the NFL comes down to making plays on 3rd Down. Kitna had 6 passes on the money down and converted on 4 of them to move the chains and keep going. His 3rd Down throw on the goal-line to Jason Witten is quite simply the difference between winning and losing.

Below, here are the season totals, with Dez Bryant now locked in. He is the leader in the clubhouse with TDs and QB Rating.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	91	56	804	34/5/4	90.2
Witten	89	65	702	31/4/3	96.7
Bryant	72	45	561	21/6/2	102.8
Williams	55	34	509	19/5/3	99.7
Jones	43	40	354	10/1/1	99.0
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	11	9	45	2/0/0	84.1
Bennett	33	23	195	8/0/2	59.5
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	11	7	63	4/0/0	79.0
Gronkowski	9	6	23	0/0/0	79.1
Totals	438	296	3297	132/22/15	92.2

Table Tutorial

Any time you are 12 games into a season and your QBs are passing at a 110 rating on 3rd Downs for the year, you would never assume the team is 4-8. That seems nearly impossible, and yet, like many things from this 2010 with the Cowboys, it is.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	25	20	295	13/2/0	142.5
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	12	8	159	6/1/0	137.5
Witten	29	18	202	10/1/3	54.7
Bennett	3	3	16	0/0/0	88.8
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	5	3	31	2/0/0	77.9
Totals	110	77	994	41/9/4	110.2

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 11 - New Orleans

The Saints game from an aerial perspective was pretty good. QB ratings weigh substantial value to TD's (of which the Cowboys had 0 through the air) and INT's (of which the Cowboys threw one). So, an otherwise solid night does not quite look as good from a QB Rating perspective with 0 TDs and 1 INT. However, Kitna, once again, was quite effective and the receivers and tight ends were very strong.

Except for Dez Bryant. For the 2nd consecutive week, Dez had very low numbers. In fact, the Detroit and New Orleans games represent the two lowest outputs for Dez all season long. Bryant has been a monster and it is clear that he is getting different coverage looks, so I would not call this a large concern. But, the opponents are not just going to sit around and wait for Bryant to kill them.

Otherwise, Jason Witten continues to rally from a slow start and the offense in general did a lot of nice things:

Here are the numbers for Game 11:

Target Distribution: - Game 11 vs New Orleans

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	5	3	25	1/0/0	72.9
Bryant	6	0	0	0/0/1	0
Witten	10	10	99	7/0/0	107.9
Williams	8	5	83	4/0/0	97.4
Jones	7	7	69	2/0/0	107.7
Barber	2	2	8	0/0/0	83.3
Choice	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	3	2	17	0/0/0	81.2
Hurd	1	1	12	1/0/0	116.6
Totals	42	30	313	15/0/1	82.7

Table Tutorial

On 3rd and 4th Down, the Cowboys did pretty well. Of course, the 3rd Downs at the end did betray the Cowboys. A long reception to Roy Williams looked like the dagger but then became a fumble. And the final 3rd Down was a poor attempt to get Dez Bryant the ball. But, aside from Dez, Kitna was 9 for 9 and they are really getting nice production from a backup QB.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 11 vs New Orleans

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	1	1	7	1/0/0	95.8
Bryant	3	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Bennett	1	1	9	0/0/0	104.1
Williams	2	2	49	1/0/0	118.7
Witten	4	4	36	3/0/0	104.2
Hurd	1	1	12	1/0/0	116.6
Totals	12	9	113	6/0/0	103.8

Table Tutorial

Here is a moderately interesting trend. Under Wade Phillips, Felix Jones had 157 yards receiving in 8 games for a total of 19 yards per game. Since Jason Garrett has taken over, Felix has 189 yards receiving in 3 games for 63 yards per game. Also, a total of 335 yards of Rushing + Receiving in 3 games for 111.6 total yards from scrimmage in the last 3 games. Not Earl Campbell, but if you can get 100+ yards from Felix Jones, you have to feel much better than earlier in the season when he had many games of less than 50 yards total.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	83	52	757	31/5/4	92.3
Witten	84	60	660	28/3/3	91.4
Bryant	69	44	547	20/6/2	105.1
Williams	53	32	477	17/5/3	97.7
Jones	40	37	346	10/1/1	100.6
Barber	13	11	49	1/0/0	82.3
Choice	11	9	45	2/0/0	84.1
Bennett	30	20	171	7/0/2	53.6
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	10	7	63	4/0/0	86.6
Gronkowski	9	6	23	0/0/0	79.1
Totals	413	278	3130	122/21/15	91.6

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	23	19	288	12/2/0	147.7
Bryant	25	16	198	8/4/1	111.3
Williams	12	8	159	6/1/0	137.5
Witten	26	15	170	8/0/3	37.8
Bennett	3	3	16	0/0/0	88.8
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	4	3	31	2/0/0	96.9
Totals	104	73	955	38/8/4	108.5

Table Tutorial

It is still very interesting to see the difference between Jason Witten's overall numbers and his numbers on 3rd and 4th Down. He had a slow start and rallied very nicely overall, but still, the Cowboys' opponents refuse to let ol 82 beat them on a money down if they can help it.

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 10 vs Detroit

If I would have told you that the Cowboys were playing a game in which there was no Tony Romo, no running attack to speak of, and in that game the 3 best WRs (Austin, Bryant, and Williams) would combine for 35 yards, you likely would have told me the Cowboys would lose that game quite handily.

But, what if Miles Austin could catch 2 Touchdowns on a 7 yard day? How about Dez Bryant having an 8 yard afternoon, but also snagging a TD? So, 3 Touchdowns on 15 yards receiving from your two big threats? That would explain a day where your QB rating was off the charts for all involved.

Manage a game? If you can have a passer rating of 130, throw 3 TDs to 0 INTs, and constantly deliver on 3rd Down, you can win a game where your offense accumulates only 260 yards. The Cowboys proved it on Sunday. Efficiency is another way of saying they managed the game. They had no choice. Even one interception would have likely been enough to lose this game. So, let's credit Jon Kitna for doing what he did, but still understand that this recipe will not work very often. That means the Saints, Colts, and Eagles are not shaking in their boots after looking at this film.

Here are the numbers for Game 10:

Target Distribution: - Game 10 vs Detroit

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	3	2	7	0/2/0	109.7
Bryant	4	3	8	1/1/0	116.6
Witten	5	4	48	3/0/0	106.6
Williams	2	2	20	1/0/0	108.3
Jones	3	3	35	2/0/0	115.2
Barber	1	1	15	1/0/0	118.7
Choice	2	2	14	0/0/0	95.8
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Gronkowski	3	1	0	0/0/0	42.3
Totals	24	18	147	8/3/0	129.7

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 10 vs Detroit

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	1	1	4	0/1/0	122.9
Bryant	1	1	1	0/1/0	118.7
Jones	1	1	1	0/0/0	79.1
Williams	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Witten	2	2	19	1/0/0	106.2
Barber	1	1	15	1/0/0	118.7
Totals	6	6	41	2/2/0	134.7

Table Tutorial

These season-to-date numbers really fascinate me. Again, not every play or throw is created equal, so you want to see a rather flat performance when you look at various splits. Miles Austin, for whatever reason, is unstoppable on 3rd and 4th down, but only very good on normal downs. Jason Witten is fine on all downs, but on 3rd Down, he is being locked down upon.

Then there is Dez Bryant. 121.5 on all downs, 120.8 on 3rd and 4th Down. There is virtually no difference between the splits. He is amazing no matter what the situation. I am very curious if he can keep this uncommon trend going.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	78	49	732	30/5/4	93.5
Witten	74	50	561	21/3/3	86.5
Bryant	63	44	546	20/6/1	121.5
Williams	45	27	394	13/5/3	97.8
Jones	33	30	278	8/1/1	99.2
Barber	11	8	43	1/0/0	78.9
Choice	11	9	46	2/0/0	84.1
Bennett	27	18	155	7/0/2	50.6
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	7	4	33	3/0/0	69.3
Gronkowski	9	3	9	0/0/0	79.1
Totals	371	248	2817	107/21/14	92.6

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	22	18	281	11/2/0	149.1
Bryant	22	16	198	8/4/1	120.8
Williams	10	6	110	5/1/0	131.2
Witten	22	11	134	5/0/3	29.5
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	5	5	82	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	4	4	37	1/0/0	105.2
Hurd	3	2	19	2/0/0	84.0
Totals	92	64	842	32/8/4	109.1

Table Tutorial

Another remarkable item this season is the Cowboys QB performance on money downs. 92.6 overall is great, but on 3rd and 4th down, Romo and Kitna shoot up to 109.1 - a suggestion that the 3rd Down package is miles different from what it used to be. 2008, when 3 WR was a failure, it was Owens, Crayton, and Williams. Now, it is Austin, Dez, and Williams, and the 3 WR offense seems to be able to get where it wants much of the time.

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Game 9 - New York

As amazingly poor as the passing game was in Game #8, Game #9 was amazingly perfect. Hard to say anything but nice things about Jon Kitna - a guy who might have been a few games from giving way to Stephen McGee if he didn't put up a performance like that very soon. But, with plenty of help from Dez Bryant, Kitna engineered a very precise performance from the offense and the results of hitting on a number of big throws was arguably the best performance of the offense in 2010.

The development of Dez Bryant is off the charts. For a guy to miss every single preseason game and then to be the #1 threat on your offense as a rookie by mid-November is a testament to his talent level, hard work, and development. We are starting to see the Cowboys actively look for him in many situations, and it sure looks like Jon Kitna would rather throw it to him than anyone else on the offense - including Miles Austin.

Here are the numbers for Game 9:

Target Distribution: - Game 9 at New York

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	3	2	68	1/1/0	149.3
Bryant	5	3	104	2/1/1	104.1
Witten	2	1	7	0/0/0	58.3
Williams	2	2	33	1/0/0	118.7
Jones	3	3	85	1/1/0	158.3
Barber	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Choice	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	2	1	32	1/0/0	95.8
Gronkowski	2	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Ogletree	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Totals	22	13	327	6/3/1	124.1

Table Tutorial

Maybe the story of the game on offense was the Cowboys hitting on 2 very long 3rd down situations. 3rd and 10 to Feliz Jones for 71 yards and then the real back breaker was a 3rd and 22 conversion to Roy Williams on a superb throw down the sideline for 27 yards. A few conversions like that and everything looks better.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 9 at New York

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bryant	1	0	0	0/0/1	0
Jones	2	1	71	0/1/0	135.4
Williams	1	1	27	1/0/0	118.7
Witten	2	1	7	0/0/0	58.3
Totals	6	3	105	1/1/1	135.4

Table Tutorial

And now your season numbers, where we see that Dez Bryant is closing in on the team lead in all categories that he already doesn't lead in. I suppose we could be really happy with his pace, or we could point out that Miles Austin has slowed to a trickle without Tony Romo and that Roy Williams has also dropped his pace to a typical Patrick Crayton season.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	75	47	725	30/3/4	85.7
Witten	69	46	513	18/3/3	84.9
Bryant	59	41	538	19/5/1	119.1
Williams	43	25	374	12/5/3	118.7
Jones	30	27	243	6/1/1	97.6
Barber	10	7	28	0/0/0	72.9
Choice	9	7	32	2/0/0	81.4
Bennett	27	18	155	7/0/2	50.6
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	7	4	33	3/0/0	69.3
Gronkowski	6	2	9	0/0/0	42.3
Totals	347	230	2670	99/18/14	89.8

Table Tutorial

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	21	17	277	11/1/0	134.6
Bryant	21	15	197	8/3/1	120.4
Williams	10	6	110	5/1/0	131.2
Witten	20	9	115	4/0/3	23.9
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	4	4	81	0/1/0	158.3
Barber	3	3	22	0/0/0	97.2
Hurd	3	2	19	2/0/0	84.0
Totals	86	58	801	30/6/4	100.9

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Game 8 - Green Bay

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/bob-sturms-cowboys-target-anal.html

The drop off in QB play is tough to quantify when the rest of the team is falling apart around him, but Jon Kitna is doing about the job you would expect of a backup QB. On Sunday night, he seemed to have great success with Dez Bryant (again) and not much else at the WR position. In fact, both of his Interceptions were intended for Miles Austin, although Austin could hardly be faulted for either one (especially the Clay Matthews INT return for a TD).

Kitna was under extreme pressure and the Offensive Line continues to struggle. Here are the results of the final game of the Wade Phillips era:

Here are the numbers for Game 8:

Target Distribution: - Game 8 at Green Bay

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	6	2	16	1/0/2	2.7
Bryant	10	9	86	3/1/0	135.8
Witten	4	3	44	2/0/0	110.4
Williams	4	1	6	0/0/0	39.5
Jones	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Barber	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Choice	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Bennett	3	3	20	2/0/0	94.4
Gronkowski	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Ogletree	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	1	1	11	1/0/0	112.5
Totals	30	19	183	9/1/2	63.6

Table Tutorial

3rd Down results are mediocre, but even these numbers are difficult to understand given the time and score of the game when many of them occurred. They all count, but some obviously count more than others. Most of Sunday's offensive stats were essentially put up in garbage time.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 8 at Green Bay

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD	QB Rating
Austin	2	2	16	1/0/0	100
Bryant	2	2	15	1/1/0	137.5
Jones	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Williams	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Witten	1	1	11	1/0/0	112.5
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Barber	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Totals	6	5	42	3/1/0	135.4

Table Tutorial

And now, your season in a nutshell - I am tempted to separate Romo vs Kitna at some point this season, because the drop off between the 2 QBs for both Austin and Williams are quite noticeable. Interesting that Dez Bryant hasn't felt the effect of the change as he just keeps producing in that way he produces.

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	72	45	657	29/2/4	78.3
Witten	67	45	506	18/3/3	85.8
Bryant	54	38	434	17/4/0	118.9
Williams	41	23	341	11/5/3	92.6
Jones	27	24	158	5/0/1	75.6
Barber	10	7	28	0/0/0	72.9
Choice	9	7	32	2/0/0	81.4
Bennett	25	17	123	6/0/2	45.9
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Hurd	7	4	33	3/0/0	69.3
Gronkowski	4	2	9	0/0/0	56.2
Totals	325	217	2343	93/15/13	86.5

Table Tutorial

Jason Witten's numbers are starting to normalize overall, but the 3rd Down numbers are not recovering at all. It has been a year where teams are starting to defend him with Linebackers more (slowing a step?) and it seems like he now has to adjust routes accordingly. For the last several years he has been working against safeties more and more. I imagine the offensive scheme is understanding this concept. In November of 2009, the Packers put Charles Woodson on him. In November of 2010, it was much more Brandon Chillar, a LB. Obviously, different routes and concepts would be used in either situation.


3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	21	17	277	11/1/0	134.6
Bryant	20	15	197	8/3/0	145.2
Williams	9	5	83	4/1/0	123.8
Witten	18	8	108	4/0/3	24.5
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	2	2	10	0/0/0	87.5
Barber	3	3	22	0/0/0	97.2
Hurd	3	2	19	2/0/0	84.0
Totals	80	55	696	29/5/3	100.8

Table Tutorial

===========

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Game 7 - Jacksonville

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/11/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-2.html

We did see that Jon Kitna, like his time in Detroit, is capable of finding receivers with a fair amount of regularity. This team in no way, shape, or form, resembled the putrid pass offense of the 2008 stretch when Brad Johnson was running things.

The question, like his time in Detroit, is simple: Is the team around him able to do anything with all of these passing yards? Can the defense mix in the occasional stop and can the offense power home a 3rd and goal and a 4th and goal?

And, most importantly as it pertains to the passing game, can his receivers help his cause or hurt his cause?

I think we can quite fairly suggest that 2 and likely 3 of the 4 interceptions were on the hands of those he was throwing the ball to. For this team to get wins, they have to make plays, not make turnovers.

Here are the numbers for Game 7

Target Distribution: - Game 7 vs Jacksonville

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	12	7	117	5/0/1	56.6
Bryant	9	7	84	3/0/0	105.5
Witten	12	10	97	2/1/0	128.8
Williams	3	1	21	1/0/2	19.4
Jones	4	3	14	0/0/1	39.5
Barber	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Choice	4	4	27	2/0/0	94.8
Bennett	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.6
Gronkowski	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Ogletree	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	4	2	19	2/0/0	63.5
Totals	49	34	379	15/1/4	64.9

Table Tutorial

It appears we are seeing one significant uptick in production from Jason Witten. In the last 2 games, Witten has 19 catches on 25 attempts for 192 yards. And we have one significant downtick from Roy Williams. In his last 2 games, he has been targeted 6 times, and he has 1 catch for 21 yards, and 2 Jon Kitna interceptions against Jacksonville were on balls intended for Roy.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 7 vs Jacksonville

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD	QB Rating
Austin	4	3	53	3/0/0	116.6
Bryant	3	3	54	2/0/0	118.7
Jones	1	1	7	0/0/0	95.8
Williams	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Witten	2	2	14	1/0/0	95.8
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	1	1	8	1/0/0	100
Barber	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Totals	11	10	132	7/0/0	116.6

Table Tutorial

3rd Down was very solid. 10-11 and 116 passer rating on 3rd Down shows that Kitna is capable. That is a reason for some optimism if the team around him plays to its ability. 7 conversions shows nice promise, too.

And now, your season in a nutshell:

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	66	43	641	28/2/2	94.3
Witten	63	42	462	16/3/3	80.3
Bryant	44	29	348	14/3/0	112.7
Williams	37	22	335	11/5/3	95.2
Jones	26	24	158	5/0/1	75.9
Barber	10	7	28	0/0/0	72.9
Choice	8	7	32	2/0/0	83.3
Bennett	22	14	103	4/0/2	36.7
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	6	3	22	2/0/0	59.0
Gronkowski	4	2	9	0/0/0	56.2
Totals	295	198	2160	84/14/11	88.8

Table Tutorial

It is interesting to look at the passer efficiency rating for the season. Miles Austin has been in a bit of a free fall and is now under 100 for the first time this year. In fact, the only target over 100 for the year is the rookie Dez Bryant who has already shown that he is the real deal and capable of making all of the catches in his young career. Not sure where his production will finish in 2010, but all of the "rookie comparables" look irrelevant with this kid. What a talent.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	19	15	261	10/1/0	136.3
Bryant	18	13	182	7/2/0	141.4
Williams	8	5	83	4/1/0	136.9
Witten	17	7	97	3/0/3	20.6
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	4	3	19	1/0/0	84.4
Jones	2	2	10	0/0/0	87.5
Barber	3	3	22	0/0/0	97.2
Hurd	3	2	19	2/0/0	84.0
Totals	74	50	654	26/4/3	96.3

Table Tutorial

===========

DB Targets vs Jacksonville

Early in the game, Kitna was going right at Rashean Mathis. Then, in the middle of the game he flipped the side of the field and appeared to be working on Derek Cox. He came back to Mathis late, and Mathis made him pay when he stepped in front of a Roy Williams slant (for interception #4).

Here are the targets that saw at least 2 balls come at them:

Targeted DB	Times
21 - Derek Cox	10
27 - Rashean Mathis	7
29 - William Middleton	2
36 - Courtney Green	2

HTML Tables

Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 6 - New York

http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2010/10/bob-sturms-target-analysis-vs-1.html

Here we take a look where Cowboys' Quarterbacks were going with the football on Monday Night. As I mentioned on an earlier entry, I think it will be interesting to see how Jon Kitna throws the ball on Sunday against Jacksonville, because NFL opponents are going to be particularly interested in whether he will throw balls outside the numbers on the field. We see a giant night for Jason Witten against the Giants, and that is all well and good - but if you watch all of Kitna's completions, they were all to the middle of the field. Well, opponents are tracking this and if he cannot complete out routes and comebacks to the sidelines along with the occasional go routes down the sidelines, then the defense will compact the middle of the field and take away what he likes to do. When we say a QB can "make all of the throws" that means a 20 yard pass to the sideline from the middle of the field is merely a flick of the wrist. It is possible that Kitna still has that arm, but at 38, he is going to have to prove it.

And the reason this is so key? Brad Johnson could not make that throw anymore. And the Cowboys offense struggled to get to 14 points with him as a starter. Kitna will surely be able to do more, but he will need to prove it to Jack Del Rio early on Sunday to open things up.

Target Distribution: - Week 6 at New York

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	8	3	39	2/0/0	53.6
Bryant	7	4	54	1/2/0	121.4
Witten	13	9	95	3/1/0	115.8
Williams	3	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Jones	3	3	26	2/0/0	102.7
Barber	1	1	7	0/0/0	95.8
Choice	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	1	1	6	0/0/0	91.6
Gronkowski	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Ogletree	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	3	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Totals	40	21	226	8/3/0	94.4

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The 3rd and 4th Down performance on Monday was pretty much reduced to 1 positive play - #56 of 56. Without the 4th down Touchdown pass to Dez Bryant, there would be almost nothing but zeros here.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 6 vs New York

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD	QB Rating
Austin	3	1	8	0/0/0	42.3
Bryant	3	2	20	0/1/0	125
Jones	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Williams	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Witten	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Barber	1	1	7	0/0/0	95.8
Totals	10	4	35	0/1/0	83.3

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An interesting trend is certainly emerging and quite surprising; Miles Austin started like a man possessed, but has had 2 extremely quiet games in a row and now has the 3rd highest passer rating amongst the WRs. Both Williams and Bryant have had more efficient performances for the season and that is likely a result of teams attempting to make Miles really work to get open in the spots of the field where he can do the most damage. Austin's QB Rating by game: 149.1 (Wash), 69.3 (Chi), 85.4 (Hou), 144.4 (Tenn), 47.9 (Minn), and 53.6 (NYG).

And now, your season in a nutshell:

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	54	36	524	23/2/1	102.7
Witten	51	32	365	14/2/3	72.7
Bryant	35	22	264	11/3/0	114.5
Williams	34	21	314	10/5/1	119.3
Jones	22	21	144	5/0/0	93.9
Barber	10	7	28	0/0/0	72.9
Choice	4	3	5	0/0/0	77.1
Bennett	21	14	103	4/0/2	38.4
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	6	3	22	2/0/0	59.0
Gronkowski	4	2	9	0/0/0	56.2
Totals	246	164	1781	69/13/7	93.6

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All things considered, the season-to-date work of Tony Romo on 3rd Down is remarkably solid. Expect to see a significant drop now with Kitna/McGee watching the store.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	15	12	208	7/1/0	140.9
Bryant	15	10	128	5/2/0	132.7
Williams	8	5	83	4/1/0	136.9
Witten	15	5	83	2/0/3	13.3
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	2	1	7	0/0/0	58.3
Jones	1	1	3	0/0/0	79.2
Barber	3	3	22	0/0/0	97.2
Hurd	2	1	11	1/0/0	66.6
Totals	63	40	522	19/4/3	90.8

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DB Targets vs New York

Tough to see any real patterns here, where we track which DBs the Cowboys were looking to attack. With the chaotic nature of the game, it looked like Thomas was the early target, but as the game went on, it was pretty evenly spread from side to side and DB to DB:

Targeted DB	Times
24 - Terrell Thomas	9
23 - Corey Webster	6
34 - Deon Grant	2
26 - Antrel Rolle	2

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Bob Sturm is host of BaD Radio on The Ticket 1310 AM Mondays through Fridays at 12-3 p.m. He also hosts The Ticket's Cowboys pregame show. Follow Bob on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bobanddan Bob offers his exclusive analysis after games on SportsDayDFW.com

Read all of Bob's posts at this link:
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/archives/bob-sturm

Targets - Week 5 - Minnesota

Target Distribution: - Week 5 at Minnesota

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	5	2	11	0/0/0	47.9
Bryant	2	1	30	0/1/0	135.4
Witten	5	3	52	2/0/2	55.8
Williams	3	3	36	1/2/0	156.2
Jones	10	10	63	2/0/0	92.9
Barber	3	3	15	0/0/0	87.5
Choice	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Bennett	1	0	0	0/0/0	39.5
Gronkowski	3	2	9	0/0/0	70.1
Ogletree	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Totals	32	24	220	5/3/2	98.4

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Another week where we look at Roy Williams and his production and have nothing to say beyond amazement at his 2010. His numbers compare well with Miles Austin, and if anyone saw that coming this season they might have also expected the Rangers to be one win from the American League Pennant. I am not sure which event was more unlikely back around Easter, but here we are.

Once again, another week where the ability to throw to the Tight End has completely disappears. It is so very shocking to see this staple of Dallas Cowboys offense completely disappear.

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Week 5 at Minnesota

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD	QB Rating
Austin	2	2	11	0/0/0	47.9
Bryant	2	1	30	0/1/0	135.4
Jones	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Williams	1	1	15	0/1/0	158.3
Witten	3	1	17	1/0/2	13.8
Bennett	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	0	0	0	0/0/0	0
Barber	2	2	15	0/0/0	97.9
Totals	10	7	88	1/2/2	97.1

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Perhaps the trend that is most alarming is this: the Cowboys only threw to their WRs out of complete necessity. Almost every single completion to Bryant, Williams, and Austin was on 3rd Down. On early downs, there appears to be no reason to cover the Cowboys WR group. To call the Cowboys game-plan conservative and careful would be a bit of an understatement.

And now, your season in a nutshell:

Target Distribution - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	46	33	485	21/2/1	111.2
Bryant	28	18	210	10/1/0	98.8
Witten	38	23	270	11/1/3	58.0
Williams	31	21	314	10/5/1	126.9
Jones	19	18	118	3/0/0	92.5
Barber	9	6	21	0/0/0	70.1
Choice	4	3	5	0/0/0	77.1
Bennett	20	13	97	4/0/2	36.9
Ogletree	1	0	0	0/0/0	0
Hurd	3	3	22	2/0/0	97.2
Gronkowski	3	2	9	0/0/0	70.1
Totals	206	143	1555	61/10/7	93.4

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For the season, the two lowest rated targets for Romo are his tight ends - Jason Witten and Martellus Bennett. Of the 7 interceptions that Romo has thrown, 5 are to Witten and Bennett. We all have theories on why this is, but isn't it somewhat shocking? It should be a rather high percentage throw to the TE given that many of their routes are hardly to be considered "downfield".

3RD/4TH Down Targets - Season To Date

Name	Targets	Catches	Yards	FD/TD/INT	QB Rating
Austin	12	11	200	7/1/0	146.5
Bryant	12	8	108	5/1/0	122.9
Williams	7	5	83	4/1/0	150.6
Witten	14	5	83	2/0/3	8.6
Bennett	2	2	7	0/0/0	81.3
Choice	2	1	7	0/0/0	58.3
Jones	1	1	3	0/0/0	79.2
Barber	2	2	15	0/0/0	97.9
Hurd	1	1	11	1/0/0	112.5
Totals	53	36	487	19/3/3	92.3

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And once again I shall repeat: No, that is not a misprint under QB Rating to Jason Witten. It really is "8.6".

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DB Targets vs Minnesota

This may drive you crazier than anything from this game; the fact that the Vikings secondary - which is largely undermanned - was never challenged. I can only find 8 passes the entire game where you could actually make the case they were looking at a defensive back to attack. There was not an attack in the Cowboys game plan it would appear.

Targeted DB	Times
29 - Lito Sheppard	3
21 - Asher Allen	3
26 - Antoine Winfield	2

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