11 for '11: #5 - DeMarco for 91 Yard TD

The Following is the 5th in an 11-part weekly series throughout the summer that will focus on the eleven plays that shaped 2011 for the Dallas Cowboys. Every game, about 130 actual plays happen and over the course of a season that number can exceed 2,000. But, we have selected 11 and will pick one each week and break it down from standpoint of "X's and O's" and see what we can learn looking back. The plays are not ranked, simply presented as the season unfolded. We hope you enjoy.

Today, we breakdown the success of the running game from Game #6 against St Louis and the rather unpredictable day they had that for a while - between the time that DeMarco Murray took over for an injured Felix Jones in New England until Murray himself was hurt in Week 14 against the Giants, proved the Cowboys had a very strong rushing attack. In fact, during that stretch of time (mid October until mid December), DeMarco Murray rushed for 824 yards which was the #1 total in the entire league. 2nd was Marshawn Lynch at 730, 3rd was Stephen Jackson at 675, 4th Arian Foster 654, and 5th Maurice Jones Drew at 650.

If Murray is what the Cowboys think he is - much of it expressed in this one run back in his 1st start - then you can understand why they are not entering this season stressing out about Felix Jones and his future. They think they may have found their man in the 3rd round of the 2011 draft out of Oklahoma. And if they are right, so many other pieces might fall into place.

As we pointed out at great length when this game was played, the Rams defense is lousy in stopping the run. In fact, in 2011, only Tampa Bay surrendered more big plays and more yardage than the Rams on the ground. They couldn't stop anyone, and finally, the low-on-confidence Cowboys OL found a side they could bully. This was much more fun than the week before in Foxboro against Vince Wilfork and company.

The play below was the single longest running play in the NFL in 2011. Flashes of Tony Dorsett from the Cowboys rookie and a play that was magical from an execution stand point. Let's take a look - CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE:



The Situation: 1st Down and 19 to go; Dallas at their own 9 yard line. Dallas has "regular" or "21" personnel in the game. Murray, Fiammetta, Witten, Bryant, and Austin as the 5 skill players. Because of Witten, Bryant, and Austin, you can see the Rams have a 2 deep safety look, and the corners up on the wide-outs. Dez, in particular is being pressed.



Witten is flexed right - away from the Right tackle - where the Rams must consider him a very likely primary read in the event that this is a passing play. The Cowboys love to put their opponents in this pickle, although they prefer it be on 1st and 10 rather than 1st and 19. On 1st and 19, your safeties will often be deep and happy to concede a 5-yard run and assume a offensive play-caller is going to be itchy to get all of those yards back quickly.

This inside zone run/pass option has been seen a thousand times if you follow the Cowboys. The quick read touchdown in Houston from 2010 is an example of the exact same concept where Tony Romo sees the pass on the outside and opts to throw the ball. I recommend you follow the link to that play for last season and experience the play from the pass option standpoint to really get an appreciation for the complexities of 1 play and why training camp is so important to a team to be able to explore the countless options on 1 single play.

On the run/pass option draw, the blockers are 100% committed to the run option. They cannot concern themselves with whatever Romo decides to do. Their job is to sell that they are pass protecting to their opponents so that their opponent will fall into the trap of edge rushing upfield. This is what the offense wants from the Defensive Ends. Allow them to take the edge and to take themselves out of possible rushing lanes. This is done by having each tackle simply turn their body towards the near sidelines and the defensive ends will generally do the rest. On this particular play, 3 of the 4 Rams DL fall for the bait. The LDE, RDE (James Hall), and RDT (Fred Robbins) require almost no blocking whatsoever - simply for 68-Free, 77-Smith, and 63-Kosier to step aside.

Then, after the trap is set, with those 3 DL cleared out, it becomes quite easy to double team with 67-Costa and 64-Holland on DT Gary Gibson. Murray is following his FB Tony Fiammetta into the right "A" gap (the gap between the center and guard). This has to happen quickly because once the defenders who rushed up field see they have been fooled, there is really no protection for the RB to keep from being caught from behind. The play's timing is key.



In the picture above, you see the 3 red arrows, denoting how the 3 Rams' LBs are going to get blocked. Holland is going to get his double team on Gibson and then slide to the Will LB. Witten is going to cut off the Sam. And Fiammetta is going to go get the Mic (Laurinaitis).

And now, the success of the play - or why this play can either go for 3 yards or 91 yards falls to 4 players besides DeMarco Murray. 82-Jason Witten, 24-Tony Fiammetta, and two Rams' safeties, 27-Quintin Mikell (deep left from Murray's view), and 20-Darian Stewart (deep right). Fiammetta's lead block on 55-James Laurinaitis is very impressive and demonstrates his strength and mobility. But, what I am drawn to more and more was the job that Witten does on a far more difficult block. Blocking is all about leverage and position. If I want to rebound a basketball, I need inside position and to keep my defender from getting inside me to the rim. In football, the rim is always moving, because the ball carrier is what I am trying to protect from my defender. Much more difficult, and the officials are making sure I don't hold.



Above, you can see the alley for Murray. Inside the blocks from Kosier and Fiammetta. Then, read Witten to see if this should go to the middle or bounce to the outside.

So, for Witten to seal the inside position on 57-Chris Chamberlain, when Chamberlain already has leverage on Witten shows us two things. 1 - that Chamberlain is far more concerned about Witten in a pass route. Until the very end, he appears to be squared up to counter whatever pass route Witten is about to run. He saw the offensive line in a posture to pass protect and quickly deduced that this is a pass play. By the time he figures out that Witten is not running a route, but attempting to seal him off from Murray, it is too late. Chamberlain has fallen into the trap. 2 - Witten is an excellent blocker and understands to use his threat as a receiver to his advantage. It is very subtle, but when you watch the end zone camera, it shows that he is still pretty solid at blocking. And that is why people consider him the best "all-around" tight end of this decade. Others can catch the ball and challenge downfield more, but he does it all.



Meanwhile, here is another lesson in Running Backs versus Safeties in the open field. As a defense, you hope that this doesn't happen very often, because the safety is at a distinct disadvantage to start the play 10-15 yards deep and to have to make a 1-on-1 tackle in the open field. But, wow, Stewart is just a blur as he takes a poor angle and isn't even close on his attack. Mikell is at least in the picture, but Murray's cutback makes Mikell look like a garden gnome.



You have to really appreciate Murray's decisive cutbacks. He plants his foot and goes. There is no question once he gets an idea of where he is going next. We saw this all day on Sunday. And Quintin Mikell, a player I thought would help the safety position in Dallas this summer, is proving that against the run, he is not very skilled. There were several other plays on Sunday where he took poor angles and missed tackles. And when a safety misses a tackle, there is usually nobody behind him to clean up his mess.



91 yards where 11 players are working in concert very well. Even Dez Bryant helps with a convoy to the endzone and we get to see Murray and Bryant sprinting next to each-other. This is the type of play that makes the film room happy. Murray did receive much of the credit, but there are plenty of good grades to go around here. Textbook stuff.

Here is the video of the entire play - (Courtesy, Fox Sports)



Of all of the plays from this series, this one is the best to sink hopes for 2012 into. Not that 91 yards can happen, but the idea that this might be a legitimate full-time, multi-purpose back to compliment the offense. Julius Jones showed similar flashes in 2004, but the Cowboys obviously hope that there is some more long-term stability with Murray. More importantly, this is the rare explosive running play that can really change a game and put the Cowboys opponents on watch.

11 for '11 series Previous Plays :

1. The Revis Interception
2. The Home Run to Holley
3. 3rd And 21 to Dez
4. Megatron's Dominating TD

Stars Open Window For Business

Any normal Dallas Stars fan has removed the daily activities on the hockey team from their radar back in early April. With the CBA expiring in September, they may not get fully turned back on until Thanksgiving (who knows?). But, for those of us who aren't normal, and who understand that there is much more to following a franchise than the 82 games that count in the standings, we know that this next month - and more specifically 2 weeks (Today through July 2) - are vital for where this team is headed and how we can evaluate the new philosophies from a new owner and staff for the hopefully bright future.

I say the next two weeks because this Friday and Saturday is the 2012 NHL Draft. Now, the Stars have a number of picks, including some extra ammunition from the Nik Grossmann trade, and sit at #13, #43, #61, and #74. I won't pretend to dive as deeply into the NHL Draft as I do the NFL Draft, but I think this week we will spend some time focused on the most attractive of these picks - #13 - and the options they could also generate if they decide to move up in the draft.

But, one thing that may not be top of mind is that the draft weekend is often fertile ground for trades in the NHL. Almost every year, with its proximity to the opening of free agency, we see major moves discussed and announced around the league. Teams are looking to fill holes and because of the lack of numbers in free agency from a depth and quality standpoint, it is not uncommon for teams to not want to wait around at the 5-10% chance they would have to convince an elite free agent to come to their door. Instead, they do business with trades and those would happen this weekend in many cases.

Then, July 1, the window goes up in free agency, and this is where the buyer most beware. There are some very attractive pieces available on July 1, but you must get it right. In this day with a hard salary cap and funds in rare supply, the wrong deal on the wrong player can really create all new problems for an organization. If your team lacked a top center, for instance, but had plenty of cap room to find one, impatience might cause you to make the largest mistake a team can make - buying someone who is willing to take your money, but not capable of being what you want him to be.

In other words, overpayment is implied in free agency. You are at an auction with other motivated buyers. You don't want to get outbid, so you throw caution to the wind. And before long, you have paid the center equivalent of Brian Campbell $57 million or Christian Ehrhoff $40 million. Paying them more doesn't make them a better player. It makes them the same player they have always been with a much fatter wallet. Now, you overbid for a player who is not the perfect fit, but rather the best fit given the choices. That is a big difference. And now, instead of having the top center, you have your version of Chan Ho Park, and your cap room has gone away and you now have an overpaid #2 center for the next 7 years. Congratulations. You have lost at free agency.

It isn't the players fault, by the way. It is your fault as an organization in building the wrong way. Free agency is not the proper road to building a team. It is the way to land a nice piece that compliments the team you built. Like baseball, building a hockey team requires kids. Many, many kids who you have drafted or acquired who can arrive on the scene and change your franchise for the better at a reasonable wage. Then, you secure those who earn security and discard the rest and do it again with a new crop of kids. It takes a while and it is not terribly exciting for your fans, but the good news in Dallas is that while you may have been sleeping, the team has begun the process.

And I guess that is the good thing about bankruptcy (assuming there is such a thing). The Stars had to slow their roll on big ticket acquisitions, but in the meantime, were combing the hockey world for talented kids and placing an emphasis on "growing their own". This process takes years, but if you started it and have a reasonably stocked farm system in certain spots, you can already plan on seeing the fruits of this labor ready to roll at camp in September.

Now, they have a ton of cash available, kids on the way, and a team that has been on the cusp of the playoffs for the last few years - hypothetically verifying the premise that they are "not far away". And, in the NHL these days, that is the mantra. If the Kings and Devils can do it, why can't we? It may be misguided, since the Kings were actually a pretty strong pick when the season started from many observers, but it shows that teams can turn the corner rather quickly when the time is right.

So, here they are. Well-positioned with cap room, draft picks, and pretty pleased with the prospects. I would interject on the prospect side that there appears to be a shortage of high-end elite offensive talent and a real shortage of centers. They have some talented kids, but the NHL is not drooling at the Stars prospects right now. They are building, but not close to the industry leaders at the present.

Below, let's discuss the 3 different avenues for acquisitions that are available in the next month:

FREE AGENCY: This is where the highest stakes are found and the most ready-to-change-your-franchise impacts, too. Zach Parise and Ryan Suter are the belles of the ball, and neither is expected to take much time in finding their riches and new address. Suter is clearly gone from Nashville, it seems, and will be paid handsomely. Personally, I don't think the Stars laying out $40-$50m would make any sense for his style of game, but the good news is that it seems irrelevant, because he doesn't seem to have Dallas on is radar, either. Shea Weber is everything that this franchise should invest in (a defenseman who has the total package), but he will not hit unrestricted free agency until 2013, at which time, the Stars can join 29 other teams in trying to wow him if Nashville somehow cannot find a way to lock him down.

Parise is much more likely to stay in New Jersey than it seemed back in April. With their success and playoff revenues, you would imagine keeping their captain is very much in their plans. If not, Minnesota seems to be the most likey home. Should the Stars invest in Parise? Absolutely, as I think he provides much of what the Stars want - elite offense, power play presence, speed, leadership, and great effort levels, but at his price you must be careful. But, most importantly, why would he choose to play here? Right now, the Stars are rather anonymous. At some point soon, they may be an attractive destination for free agents, but at the present time, it is a tough sell for many free agents with options to believe that the Stars are serious about being a cup contender. We have to remain realistic. Like the Rangers, at first, the acquisitions will be trades. Then, after success with trades, Adrian Beltre and Joe Nathan might follow. Not the other way around.

Are there realistic free agency targets? Yes. If they wish to get in on a group of defensemen that I like: Matt Carle, Jason Garrison, or Dennis Wideman, I think you could find a real compliment to the Stars power play forces at a heavy price ($20m) but not insane price. If you wanted to take a look at a tougher defenseman like Barrett Jackman, you might be able to do that sort of thing for 3 years/$12m. But, he is not going to help your power play in the slightest. He would be more of defensive replacement for what you lose from Sheldon Souray leaving and the gritty/leadership factor that he can provide.

As for Souray, the Stars offered a 1-year deal (reportedly in the $3m range) and the Souray camp wants a multiple year deal (no doubt seeing Willie Mitchell get 2-years, $7m). Unless Souray changes his mind because of a lack of interest league-wide, there is no reason to believe the Stars are going to move up the term. They just didn't see enough to believe he can play every night for 8-9 months anymore.

Otherwise, look for the Stars to carefully sift through the cheaper options at forward spots, but the idea that they can find their "Top 6" vacancies with a bold strike through free agency doesn't seem to be the route the Stars are going to take. And, it might not be the worst thing in the world to keep the owner's personal connections in mind. One of his co-owners in Kamloops might need a job.

TRADES: This is going to be 100% speculation. And it is going to hurt to read some of the names involved. But, from what I am deducing, the Stars are looking to make a splash this summer through the trade route. This can be tricky, but I imagine most of their class of 2013 free agents can all be had if the price is right. This means some of your favorite players - Brenden Morrow and Mike Ribeiro - are at the top of that list. Also, a 2014 free agent is Steve Ott, and since we seem to have it on pretty good authority that he was available at the deadline, we should know that this hasn't changed. All 3 have value. So, if they can find a trade that nets them a piece that the Stars think can be part of their big picture group moving forward, I would not say any of them are locks to be here when camp starts again.

Obviously, Ott has real value for a team that is close. In fact, one has to wonder how Vancouver's playoff run would have gone if they would have done the Buffalo deal (Cody Hodgson for Zack Kassian) with the Stars for Ott. I imagine the Stars would have jumped on that with both feet, but instead the Canucks went the other route and were dismissed early by Los Angeles. Morrow is tricky as he has major health issues that will continue to scare off many buyers. He may be more of a deadline candidate next spring if he can demonstrate his value again through durability and performance. But, he has many, many admirers in NHL front offices around the league. Ribeiro is a capable #2 center, which may make the Stars hold on to him because they have almost nothing behind him unless they can get a center coming back in the deal and that is hard to fathom for a number of reasons.

Beyond the veterans available in trade, the Stars now have enough kids that they can start to ponder the wisdom of dealing one of them. Maybe the prospect with the most value is goaltender Jack Campbell. He is still unproven at the AHL level, but is oozing with talent and seems to be the player that NHL minds quickly bring up when talking about the talent in Dallas. If Kari Lehtonen (another 2013 UFA) is a priority for an extension - and I don't know why he wouldn't be - then you might flip your top goalie prospect for something up front. The biggest reason for this deduction goes back to the old adage that you cannot play 2 goalies at the same time. There is just one net. So, surplus sometimes pays other bills. This may be a move made down the road to maximize the deal, but for now, it is something to keep on the radar.

With a number of attractive names out there in trade talks: Rick Nash, Jordan Staal, etc, the Stars can consider options, but with both of those players in particular, expect the prices to be jaw dropping. Additionally, in the case of Staal, he will also hit UFA in 2013, so buyer beware. And in the case of Nash, we are back to a player agreeing to come here since he has the ability to veto any destination he doesn't agree to.

DRAFT: As I said above, we will write something about the draft and the 13th pick in particular as the week goes on. But for now, you should know that it is a draft where a clear consensus is not easy to find when looking at even the Top 5 in the draft. The Stars are surely looking in 2 directions - center and defense, and this draft is short on top-end centers but seems to have enough quality depth on defense that there could be something pretty nice there when they pick. What makes this draft a bit odd is that there could be a case where a top talent starts falling because of various issues (including the KHL issue as it pertains to young Russians). If that happens, the extra ammunition of an additional 2nd rounder could cause the Stars to shoot up to get the center of their dreams. But, this is all dependent on a slide that may not even happen, so speculation is everywhere.

In conclusion, the Stars are ready to get active. They have a renewed sense of urgency and with Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson, and Kari Lehtonen, they feel that they have a group to build around. They don't think they are miles away and they don't think this will take forever. But, it might not happen at daybreak on July 1. They have to make sure they get this right.

This should be a very interesting month.

Cowboys Mailbag - 6/15

The end of another week and the last time the Cowboys will get together on a football field before their trip to Southern California has come to a close, but that doesn't mean we plan on slowing down the Cowboys Mailbag (except for during my upcoming vacation).

Let's continue to look back and ahead on many topics through actual emails like yours....

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Hey Bob

I really enjoyed your post about the crushing fourth-quarter interception against the Jets in week one last season. It's particularly gutting when you've stayed up to 5am over here on the other side of the pond to hopefully see the Cowboys pull off a victory. Mind you, you pay's your money and take your choice. Watching Nick Folk's rekicked gamewinner against Buffalo in the wee hours a couple of seasons ago was the upside of this fiendish late night coin.

That was a great breakdown of the Int as I'd originally put equal blame on Dez Bryant. If you watch really closely he is trying to come back to his qb late in that play but stubs I think it was his right foot into the turf, loses his balance and can't push off. It's probably a pick anyway but that misstep ruined any chance Dez had of breaking up the play.

But the real kicker for me on your review was when I saw that although the Jets were threatening to rush six, they only rushed three and Dallas had gone max-protect with seven blockers. Yet Romo inexplicably takes off like a cat on a hot tin roof, rolling out to his right (as cats prefer to do:)) thereby effectively giving himself only one receiver in his progression - namely Dez - who is also in double coverage. Brain lock move by Romo so most of the blame goes on him.

He leaves me speechless in both a good and bad way at times so I understand why opinion is so polarised about him. But the highs are just so tantalising and sweet that I'm firmly on the Romo bandwagon. That crystallised when a good friend asked me during the Peyton Manning sweepstakes if I would swap Romo for the former Colt. Of course I would, that's a no-brainer. But when he posed the same question about Eli I just couldn't give the same answer. I didn't know why for a while because on paper Eli is clearly the better quarterback on recent form, working wonders last season behind a disintegrating offensive line. And he's so clutch.

Also Eli is less injury prone than Romo who unfortunately is a bit fragile. But I eventually realised I've got too much emotionally invested in Romo to swap him for Eli and really want him to succeed. You can't put a price on the kind of highs he will give you like last season's performance against Miami where particularly I think on the drive you broke down recently, I still hadn't picked my chin up from the floor after one amazing play, when there was another and another. It was a stunning matchwinning peformance. Besides, Greg Cosell's recent analysis confirms Romo is a top 10 qb which is where I've always had him - I'd say he's top eight - definitely above Matt Ryan and Cam Newton.

Somehow that game was not Romo's best of the season according to Pro Football Focus. I tried to find out if it was rated his second best after the Buffalo game or rated somewhere else, but did not get a reply. Perhaps you would be good enough to clear this up for me, Bob.

Anyway, getting back to the present day and your recent posts about RG3 and how the offense all fits together did rather pose a question that perhaps you would like to investigate. I followed your link to TC Fleming's stuff on the Texans offense and how it mirrored the Elway Broncos, and was struck by the idea that Denver's play calls would be determined by whether the defense was cheating rush or pass. Presumably if it was cheating rush then you pass and vice versa, the offense's goal being to get the defense to treat both equally although I'm not convinced getting to that point is better than having the defense cheat one way and then ramming the opposite down their throats, as long as the offense is equally proficient at running and passing - unlike Dallas.

This brings me to your analysis of the Patriots and Cardinals games last season where both teams were clearly cheating pass the longer each game went on and Dallas's running efforts sank slowly but terminally into the mud. But to do that well, these defenses must surely be able to play the run on the way to the passer or the offense would surely catch them out with timely run calls.

So let's assume that's the case, but what I can't fathom out is where was Dallas's screen game. If the defense's focus is on pass rushing then football 101 says a screen can make them pay. From what I can remember of last season is that Dallas are not a big screen team and haven't been over the last couple of years. If the numbers support this contention, I wonder why that is. Perhaps in the case of the Patriots and Cardinals they were getting pressure with their base defense but a screen should still work even in those circumstances.

Just because an offense goes one-dimensional it doesn't mean it cannot get the job done, but under Garrett - who I like, is clearly changing the culture for the better and like all coaches is human and makes errors (see Arizona timeout gaffe last season) - that seems to be the case.

Come on Jason let's see some screens on the big screen in Arlington and more particularly on the road.

Regards
Steve Hawdon, Andover

Thanks, Steve. Is that Andover in England? Not far from Southampton? Very nice.

Well, a few things. First, ProFootballFocus rated Tony Romo's 3 finest performances last year as the following: #1 Buffalo, #2 at Tampa Bay, and #3 at San Francisco. His 3 worst were: #1 at New York, #2 Washington, and #3 At Philadelphia.

Now, on to the screens. According to my extensive data base, of the 1,019 snaps the Cowboys took last season, I listed 28 of them to be some variation of a screen pass. I narrowed it down even further to list that 4 of those were TE Screens, 11 were WR screens, and the remaining 13 the traditional screen pass to a Running back. None of the 28 were particularly successful, but DeMarco Murray had 3 over 10 yards and shorter than 15, Tashard Choice, Dez Bryant, and John Phillips (of all people) also had one screen for a first down. Otherwise, many were incomplete or for less than 6 yards and thought of as relatively ordinary or unproductive plays.

The reasons do go back, in my opinion, to the drastic upheaval in the offensive line. At first, it was just something that this offense did not emphasize. Then, it seemed that perhaps it was more of a case that they did not want to ask too much of the offensive line because the basic things were proving to be an issue. Then, there was a massive overhaul in October with the types of play calls that seemed to work and the zone plays of September started to fade away and the man blocking calls started re-emerging - not coincidentally with the big Montrae Holland called in from his couch.

I expect that in 2012, this is thought of as an objective when they find some continuity to their offensive line on the interior, since most proper screens do utilize the guards in space. So, priority #1 is to figure out which guards will be at the top of the depth chart and hopefully, Livings and Bernadeau are better in space than the options from last season. Livings doesn't look to strong in space to me, but I am willing to offer a fresh start after his post-Bengals career.

Regardless, this is hypothetically a way to back off the defensive attack. In fact, in a study that I think some people might find interesting, the Cowboys are experts on the powers of screen passes because the opponents loved to run variations of this strategy to back of Rob Ryan and his blitz packages.

At least 6 different times in 2011, the Cowboys had a screen pass right into the teeth of their blitz go for an explosive (a play that totals 20 or more yards). The Jets, Dolphins, Patriots, Eagles, Rams, and Lions all sprung this trap on the Cowboys to back off the blitzing tactics. There is nothing more demoralizing than sending 6 or 7 rushers and then having a QB dink a short pass right behind your men and they run free for 30 yards down the field.

Here is a link to all 64 of the explosives Rob Ryan's defense allowed and you can see how many times the screen was stuck on them. Keep in mind, the Cowboys did not generate a single explosive off the screen in 2011 offensively.

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Could we see T.O. back with the Cowboys.

P1 Jason

NO. No. No. No. No. No.

It won't happen and it can't happen. Terrell Owens has many fans in this city and he also could easily be the 3rd best WR on this roster, but when you talk about the damage that was done in the 2008 season in particular, the primary figures on the other side of the Owens drama were, in any order: Tony Romo, Jason Witten, and Jason Garrett. Now, with the exception of Jerry Jones, are there 3 more powerful people at Valley Ranch than those 3? That should answer your question.

I think, like in 2011, the Cowboys will proceed to camp with the idea that they will seek an internal solution to their 3rd and 4th WR issues. If, like in 2011, they are not satisfied with what they have found, then they will have to act quickly and examine what is available.

Personally, I would recommend a minimal deal before camp with Patrick Crayton. I think Crayton was a good teammate (if not occasionally outspoken), generally dependable (save for the 2007 playoff game against the Giants), and had a strong chemistry with Tony Romo (not unlike Laurent Robinson in 2011) for knowing where to go when Tony starts his improv show. He also knows the system, enjoys the slot, and understands the organization and is a veteran who might help sort that 3rd spot.

I would argue that the 3rd WR spot is a headache, as is the 2nd TE spot. Both are vital to the Jason Garrett offense. Danny Coale, Andre Holmes, and James Hanna will all be given chances for a few weeks to show what they have in Oxnard. But, then, the clock will be ticking and the scouts will go to work on finding a dependable veteran. At that point, Crayton and veteran TE Visanthe Shiancoe will have likely found jobs elsewhere, but for now, both appear to be waiting for their phone to ring.

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Hey Bob, what are the odds something gets done long-term with Anthony Spencer?

JimJim

I believe the deadline for that activity is now a month away (July 16) and the odds seem rather remote. Given their ability to maneuver around the cap without freeing up Spencer's huge number of $8.8m, they don't have urgency to give him even more guaranteed money to lock him down. I talked with his agent Jordan Woy this week, and they seem to expect the Cowboys will be happy to roll with this arrangement in 2012, and Spencer's side seems fine with that salary of well over $500k per game and the chance to hit the jackpot next spring if he has a big year.

In looking back at Spencer's 2011, I see where both sides are coming from. It wasn't like Spencer was poor. He had some phenomenal moments and was asked to drop into coverage plenty which reduce his opportunities to hit huge sack totals. But, the Cowboys also counter with the idea that he simply has to be better at the little things - assignments, in particular - and be a smarter player when the bullets are flying.

But, unlike Mike Jenkins, there is no question that Spencer is going to get the snaps. They really don't seem to have much at all behind him and unless 4th round pick Kyle Wilber steals the show in the preseason, Spencer has nobody looking over his shoulder for the 1st and 2nd down spots. Victor Butler remains interesting, but still seems to be a primary pass rusher in nickel situations.

11 for '11: #4 - TD to Megatron

The Following is the 4th in an 11-part weekly series throughout the summer that will focus on the eleven plays that shaped 2011 for the Dallas Cowboys. Every game, about 130 actual plays happen and over the course of a season that number can exceed 2,000. But, we have selected 11 and will pick one each week and break it down from standpoint of "X's and O's" and see what we can learn looking back. The plays are not ranked, simply presented as the season unfolded. We hope you enjoy.

This week, in our 11 plays that shaped 2011 series, we need to visit about one of the plays of sheer, physical dominance that was performed at the expense of the Dallas Cowboys season. But, before we discuss Calvin Johnson turning a poor QB decision into a great play for his offense, we need to remember (painfully) how the Cowboys were put in this position in the first place.

This Week 4 game against Detroit helped determine the Cowboys early season mood. At one point, early in the 3rd Quarter, Tony Romo hit Jason Witten for a Touchdown pass that put the Cowboys comfortably ahead, 27-3. But, by the end of that same 3rd Quarter, one in which the Cowboys would run 25 plays and the Lions would run just 8, the margin had shrunk considerably, to 30-17.

And, the game turned - hard and unpredictably - on 3 1st Down passes. 2 from Romo and 1 from Stafford.

Before we spend time on today's feature play, let us spend a moment discussing the concept of QB decision making with regard to knowing which down it is. Downs, like strikes in baseball, are all equal in literal value. They are each a play. Strike one and strike three are both strikes. But, obviously, strike one is not a very big moment in an at-bat, whereas strike three has very sudden consequences.

The same is very true with downs for a QB and an offense. 1st Down and 3rd Down are each one play. But QBs are taught that good decisions on a play cannot be judged without knowing the down and distance. On 1st down, we need to be very conservative in our risk level. On 2nd down, we allow a bit more risk, but still err on the side of conservative decision making. On 3rd down, especially late in games, we may have to try to fit the ball into tighter spaces, but for the most part, we need to remember that a punt is almost always better than an interception. Only when you are down to your final bullet in a game do you allow the QB to simply throw caution to the wind and take a low-percentage chance.

And yet, here are two very good QBs, ignoring this discussion altogether. They don't ignore down relevance in their decision making very often. Matthew Stafford, who had a 41 TD/16 INT 2011, threw just 3 1st Down interceptions all season long versus 17 Touchdowns. That 113.5 QB Rating on 1st Downs demonstrates that he is a very intelligent QB who understands on 1st Down to only take what is presented by the defense. Only Aaron Rodgers and Matt Schaub had better 1st Down passer ratings than Stafford.

Romo, with 31 TDs and just 10 INTs overall in 2011, had great 1st Down results as well. He threw 13 TDs against just 4 INTs all season long. Trouble is, of his 4 1st Down interceptions, 3 were quite memorable. The INT to Revis in Week 1 and 2 giant 1st Down interceptions in the 2nd half of a Detroit game in which they had a 27-3 lead and let it all slip away with Romo's poor decisions that led to all sorts of developments (including a more conservative play-calling offense the next game in New England) as 2011 took shape.

Truth be told, we should likely assign one of those interceptions for the breakdown below. Instead, I selected the Lions 1st of 2 4th Quarter Touchdowns to Calvin Johnson for the duty. But, in terms of which plays turned an easy win into a frustrating loss, it was quite clearly a 1st Down interception that was returned for a Touchdown by former Cowboys' LB Bobby Carpenter when he dropped into his zone below a Dez Bryant route and had the ball thrown right to him.

The next possession, on 3rd down and 2, Romo trusted new weapon Laurent Robinson to cross the face of the cornerback Chris Houston on a slant route. This imperative move from the WR never happened, and Houston jumped the slant and returned another pick for a Touchdown, inexplicably closing a 27-3 lead to 27-17 without the Lions offense ever taking a snap.

Late in the game, with the Cowboys holding a 30-27 lead and having the ball with 4:22 to go, at their own 20 yard line, Romo committed maybe his worst pass of 2011. They were just a 4-minute drill from killing off this game despite all of the problems that led up to it, but on 1st Down, saw Jason Witten in a matchup with a linebacker that would be a converted route into a vertical past the safeties. If Romo delivers the ball, it might be an 80-yard Touchdown. Instead, the pocket is pushed back into Romo and he is forced to try to throw a deep pass while leaning on his back foot. He cannot get much on the throw and the ball flutters and falls into the hands of a waiting Lions' LB, Stephen Tollach. It is a perfect example of why coaches must still remind veteran QBs that there are times to try risky passes and times not to. Being ahead in the game and sitting on 1st Down is not one of them. Know the game situation or throw the game away.

Despite those very poor decisions from Romo that the national media would feast on for the remainder of the season, the most memorable play for me from this Week 4 battle was not those picks, nor was it the sack of Romo with 0:35 left in the game when rookie tackle Tyron Smith was tossed aside by Willie Young. That was the only time all year where Smith just looked physically dominated with a bull rush from another Lions' talent along their defensive front.

The play I will never forget - and I suspect the Cowboys defense would concur with this - was the play where Megatron made a very poor QB decision look like a brilliant one. Let's examine it.

THE PLAY: 13:47 left in 4th Quarter. Lions 1/10/Dallas 23 - (Shotgun) M.Stafford pass deep left to C.Johnson for 23 yards, TOUCHDOWN. Pass caught back of the end zone.

The Lions are in a very interesting 1st Down personnel package that is labeled "02 personnel". This is a 0RB 2TE 3WR package. Both tight ends are lined up off of right tackle and will both stay in for a maximum protection look. This is not typical of a 1st Down strategy, but perhaps that is why it works so well. They send Titus Young wide right, Nate Burleson wide left, and Megatron is in the slot to the left and is notated with the red circle in Picture #1. (CLICK ON ANY PICTURE TO ENLARGE)

#1


Picture #2 shows a blue circle around Cowboys MLB Sean Lee who is getting a deep drop in his zone, making us think that the Cowboys are in some sort of Tampa 2 with Lee turning his hips at the snap and heading into the deep middle. Alan Ball, the slot corner, is in the shallow zone with Johnson in the left slot. He does not go with the receiver at all, but rather gives him a near free release into the secondary.

#2


Alan Ball is in for Orlando Scandrick. Also, earlier in the game, the Cowboys lost Gerald Sensabaugh to injury and Barry Church has replaced him as the safety that is over to Johnson's side. The idea here with Lee and both safeties deep is to have a 5-3 zone and have 2-3 bodies around any deep threats. As Ball let's Johnson go, Church - in the white circle on Picture #3 - now takes over on Johnson who can either head to the corner or back to the post.

#3


What makes this play frustrating is that since the Cowboys are only rushing 3 against the Lions max protection, that means the Lions only have 3 receivers in routes against 8 Cowboys defenders in the secondary. The Cowboys have no coverage issues here at all, but conversely, Stafford has no pass rush at all with which to bother with. But, picture #4 shows us that Stafford has no business making this throw. We can certainly agree that Johnson can out-leap any player in the league and he is never truly "covered", but from the perspective of the Lions coaches - Jim Schwartz and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan - there is simply no way that they can look at this picture and say the risk is worth the reward on 1st Down. Take the underneath pass in the flat to Burleson and go to 2nd Down. Don't throw away a chance at points by tossing up a jump ball on 1st Down. It makes no sense.

#4


Stafford throws caution to the wind - perhaps because he plays with Johnson every day he knows that if he is going to roll the dice, this is the player to do it with against Barry Church - and lobs a pass up. In Picture #5, Johnson is in hand-to-hand combat with Church, with Mike Jenkins arriving to the outside and Sean Lee. Johnson is able to hold off Church with the arm fighting and time his leap wonderfully. By the end of the play, it looks like a man playing with his kids. It is about as physically dominating a moment as you will see in the NFL.

#5


Here is the play from the end zone camera, as the ball is arriving. Again, from the Detroit coaching staff's perspective, this throw is ill-advised. From the Cowboys coaching perspective, this is as covered as a player can get. Now, someone needs to simply knock the ball away. But, when you are facing a player with Johnson's height, strength, speed, and leaping ability, that is significantly easier-said-than-done.

#6


1st Down throws should always be high-percentage throws. Tossing the ball into triple coverage should be as crazy as the throws Romo made on 1st Down. But, Stafford had the wildcard of a receiver that makes all throws to him a high percentage decision. Would Sensabugh have done a better job than Church? I have no idea what he would have tried that wouldn't have either resulted in this same touchdown or a pass interference call. The officials will not call offensive pass interference unless there is a clear push, and on this play, it wasn't a clear push as much as two players fighting for space.

In breakdowns like this, you want to provide alternative ideas for defending that play. But, given the way the Lions defied all strategic decision making and just asked a player to make a play, you might just tip your cap. It was counterintuitive to smart football, but it certainly worked for them on this occasion.

The Lions scored here, Romo threw his 3rd pick on 1st Down with 4 minutes left, and then another TD to Johnson sealed the fate of the Cowboys. Their record fell to 2-2 and on their way to 8-8. Of all of the games they would want back that could have secured the NFC East title, this and the Arizona games would have to be those that really smart.



11 for '11 series:

1. The Revis Interception
2. The Home Run to Holley
3. 3rd And 21 to Dez

Thinking About RG3

As we roll through the summer, I hope to keep a close eye on the foes in the NFC East from a Cowboys perspective. This division has 4 very proud, historically proven franchises, and none of them are too satisfied unless they figure out a way to get on top.

The Eagles, a team that has had almost no horrid seasons under Andy Reid, still are the team that is defies the NFL thought that if you are in the mix long enough, eventually you will win a Super Bowl. They still chase their first title in over 50 years.

The Giants, a team that has managed to come out of left field to win a Super Bowl - twice in 5 years - proving it is either not a fluke or it is at the most amazing repeatable fluke ever. Honestly, the history books will identify them as the team of this era - having won 2 Super Bowls over the mighty Patriots in 5 years. But, were they the team of the era or two teams that qualified for the playoffs and then got hot? Regular season wins over those 5 years? Patriots 63, Giants 49. But, given that "styles make fights", we can certainly surmise that the Giants found a style in January - TWICE - and therefore have their claim to the throne. It doesn't matter who the best team in the regular season actually was.

Then, the Cowboys and Redskins. The stars of the American Express commercial so long ago, and two league heavyweights for a long, long time. But, since they both won their Super Bowls in the early 1990s, the cupboard has gone dry. Washington has but 3 wildcard round victories since the 1991 season, and only 1 playoff win in the new millennium. Dallas, meanwhile, has but 2 wildcard victories of their own since the 1995 Super Bowl.

The Redskins, though, think their fortunes are surely about to change. If not, they would not have traded their 1st Round picks in 2012, 2013, and 2014, as well as their 2nd round pick in 2012 to move up and get the Rams #2 overall selection to take Robert Griffin III from Baylor.

RG3 is a fantastic talent that many years would have been worthy of #1 overall. Andrew Luck will make that either a historical debate or at least a Ryan Leaf-type footnote on both of their careers. Luck will now take his chance in Indianapolis and Washington will be where RG3 will either sink or swim. And according to Dan Pompei's weekly column at the National Football Post, neither franchise is going to wait to unleash their new hope:

One year ago, 19 out of 20 coaches might have told you the preferred way to develop a rookie quarterback would be to let him sit and learn and acclimate slowly. Then along came Cam Newton and Andy Dalton, throwing conventional wisdom a wicked curveball.

The success the quarterbacks experienced as rookies has caused many to reevaluate the traditional way of thinking. You know Andrew Luck will be taking every snap from the start of camp. Robert Griffin III was named the starter in Washington before he had his first practice with Redskins veterans. And the Dolphins and Browns will be pushing Ryan Tannehill and Brandon Weeden on the field as soon as possible.

Simple as that. Draft him and start him. Something that used to be insane is now normal. Like Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, Mark Sanchez, Matt Stafford, Newton, and Dalton, these franchises don't even get through the first month of their first year before they are behind the wheel. Heck, Dalton and Newton did it last year without the benefits of OTA's and the offseason programs due to the lockout. They just played football and now the idea that Steve McNair and Aaron Rodgers were groomed slowly has been discarded for the start-from-Day 1 approach.

But, since their last elite QB - league MVP Mark Rypien, they have rolled out seasons with Heath Shuler, Gus Frerotte, Trent Green, Brad Johnson, Tony Banks, Patrick Ramsey, Mark Brunell, Jason Campbell, Donovan McNabb, and Rex Grossman. And that isn't even digging down to the QBs who never made it a season as starter. They are ready for their golden boy. And were willing to overpay to find him.

Here is why I expect great success from Griffin and the Redskins on a rather quick basis. I think, and evidently the Redskins agree given their willingness to part with 4 premium picks to secure him, that Griffin is tailor-made to fit the Mike Shanahan system. In fact, if you consider what Shanahan truly believes in from an offensive standpoint, you might say he fits as well as just about any QB that Shanahan has dealt with since John Elway.

Shanahan is perhaps the biggest believer in football - along with his former OC Gary Kubiak, now head coach of the Houston Texans, of the zone stretch QB naked bootleg rollout design that stresses so many defenses in the NFL. My colleague in football dorkdom, TC Fleming, broke this down in great detail a few years back as a study on the Houston Texans and I would encourage you to read the entire piece to get great insight on what I expect the plan is for RG3 in Washington.

While in Denver, they carved out a pretty distinct sort of identity. The idea, if I could simplify way down, is to use their zone blocking system to get Terrell Davis going on the ground. Then with the defense keying on him, have John Elway fake the handoff to Davis and roll to the opposite side where he had the option to either throw to a receiver whose defender had bit on the fake to Davis or run it himself into the areas voided by the over-pursuing defense. That's why Shanahan and Kubiak worked so hard to get Jake Plummer as a free agent and why they traded up to get Jay Cutler in the draft: the general system is predicated on having a quarterback who can throw well on the run, pick up yards himself when needed and just generally execute this style of play-action pass known as the bootleg.

Below, you can see the basic zone stretch left with the bootleg right. Ignore the jersey numbers, as this graphic was based on the 2010 Houston Texans, but the idea is the same:



It is important to note that the action from the OL and the Running Backs repeats over and over. But, the variations with personnel groupings and who is running which routes is where the Broncos/Texans/Redskins make your head spin. Sometimes, the FB is on a shallow and the backside receiver goes deep. Sometimes the play side receiver is dragging at an intermediate depth and the TE is shallow. It varies and that is why you cannot get a good feel for it.

What happens is over time, you either cheat the run or cheat the pass. They keep pounding the other until you stop cheating. But, here is why Schaub, Cutler, Plummer, and especially Grossman cannot run it like RG3. They were never close to the fastest man on the field.

How do you spy Griffin on a naked bootleg or a waggle? And if you figure it out, then he puts on the breaks and delivers a strike. But, if you don't respect his legs, what keeps him from breaking contain and moving the chains?

And if you spend too much time on Griffin on the naked, then, can you contain the running game on the simple zone? You ask who the Redskins have at running back? I will counter with asking if you could name any of the anonymous runners Shanahan made famous running this concept with lesser QBs causing the classic conflict.

Obviously, to replicate the offense properly, they will need a deep threat and a useful group or receivers. With their offseason, it appears they have placed their resources in fixing that. They also have a strong collection of tight ends to make this offense really work.

Nobody is here to suggest they will make the postseason in year 1. But, with an already formidable front 7 on defense, you can see the philosophy in place. It makes sense on paper. Whether they have the depth and all of the pieces in place can be debated, but it would be folly to assume that Washington is still a group of over-the-hill mismatched parts. With Shanahan and Bruce Allen, there is a very clear list of objectives being checked off and they may just have the most important piece in place.

It will be fascinating to see how it takes shape, but if you are Dallas, you had better get familiar with the offense. And that might explain why the Cowboys don't feel that they can slow linebackers anymore. With Michael Vick and Griffin on the schedule 4 times a year, Keith Brooking and Bradie James had to go. Sean Lee and Bruce Carter will need to put their track shoes on to keep track of the opposing double-threat QBs.

How the Offense All Fits Together

Today is one of those blogs where many who have played football for any length of time might not learn anything they haven't heard in high school or college from their coaches in the film room. But, for those of us who have little or no actual playing experience, it is a topic worth discussing during the offseason to try and explain why coaching and play-calling is a very delicate dance that must be performed with circumstances each Sunday.

Since 2008, on my personal blog, I have been logging every play-call, down and distance, and personnel grouping from every snap of every game. During this time, with well over 4,500 play calls, we have a really interesting profile of how Jason Garrett runs his offense. There have been many variations and personnel situations that have caused him to morph his philosophy as the offensive coordinator and then the head coach, but it is all sitting there in the data base and logged for analyzation.

We have the data available to see what the Cowboys are good at offensively, bad at offensively, and a third category that is inconsistent enough to say that we just don't know what the performance is going to be sometimes.

But, what is interesting to me is that when you examine this data, or even just as you keep up with our weekly "Decoding Garrett" studies that are linked here if you are so inclined to kill off the rest of your day, we come up with many reasons why the offense is not as good as the other heavyweights in the NFL. Personnel-wise, when you stack up the Cowboys offensive skill position personnel with those teams that win Super Bowls or consistently play deep into January (Saints, Patriots, Packers, Giants, Colts), you feel pretty good, usually.

So, why, then, do the results suggest that the Cowboys are not a team that fits into January very often?

And the answer to that is different, depending on who you ask. I consume a lot of NFL programming on television and on the radio. I would be more than happy if the NFL was to the USA as soccer is to Europe. What that means is if the season went from August to May and there were really no other major sports, I would be fine with that. I love the NFL that much.

But, I don't love how the NFL is critically covered. I think we "dumb down" the conversations and simplify all issues to the most ridiculous standards. And therefore, nationally especially, when the conversation comes up about why the Cowboys don't win more in the post-season, invariably, the answer from people who either don't study the team or don't know how to study the team always arrives at 2 places: Tony Romo (The QB) and Jason Garrett (The Coach).

It would be one thing if it was just callers who would ignore data and 900 snaps to focus on 5-10 snaps that were poor, but it is not. It is a wide array of media and many on the set of NFL Network or ESPN which can certainly cause your average fan to take notice. Wow, if Jamie Dukes thinks this, and if he played in the league as long as he did, surely he is right. Meanwhile, when talking about him and his golf and his wife and baby, we must also roll highlights behind him of the Revis interception, the Bobby Carpenter interception, and the missed FG hold in Seattle in 2006

Because clearly, if you have a QB who throws 31 TDs and 10 Interceptions, has a QB Rating of 102.5, and has his best season of his career by almost all individual metrics - including the 2007 season when his team was 13-3 - we should all look at the QB as the reason the season went bad. Why? Because! It is easy and simple! Blame the most famous football player on the team who plays the position that we can all see easily. Never-mind the other positions. They are just there to keep him company. The defense? That doesn't matter either if you listen to the radio or watch the television. It is Romo. The Cowboys are never going to win with Romo. This is a critical year for Romo. Romo...Romo...Romo...Romo.

It is enough to make you try to avoid the noise. If they are not going to explain why the Cowboys function as they do without digging deeper than the very top, most simple layer, then why even bother? Nobody is saying that Tony Romo is perfect, or even elite all of the time, but to suggest that QB is holding this franchise back over the last 7 seasons is insane on almost every level. But, it is way easier to answer shortly and confidently that Romo is the problem. To explain a more complex disfunction in the organization is boring and laborious.

So, now, I am sure you are asking: "So, if it isn't what they say it is, what is the problem?" And if you read my works on a regular basis, this is going to be repetitive. But, here is the really abbreviated version.

The line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball have not been a strength of the team since the dynasty days of the 1990s. This decay during the Romo era has led to issues in the running game, pass protection, and play-calling. Our data seems to suggest that in 2011, just like 2008-2010, the Cowboys would enter games with a game-plan not to attack and to win, but to protect their under-manned offensive line - which is most certainly not a recipe for dominance.

Here is part of our study after the debacle in Arizona in early December:

the differences between the home and road game plans are so drastic and frankly, predictable, that one certainly has room to wonder if the Cowboys attempt to call two different game plans.

At home, they are aggressive and determined. Run and pass splits are nearly identical. They often make their opponents choose their poison and then serve it up on a platter. It may not always work, but they are adventurous and creative in the way they go about their business. They will try even trick plays, they will pass when you think run, they will pound the ball until you can stop it, and they have a swagger.

On the road, they are timid. They are easily chased off their objectives. They abandon the run early and often. They put everything on their QB and his ability to make lemonade out of lemons. They seem to call plays in an effort to prevent disasters rather than to attack. They send a message to the troops that they are not sure if they can score points, so they often don't.

And this pattern has been in place for quite a while. Nobody is saying they never bring their home personality on the road, because they do. And sometimes, their road personality shows up in Arlington, too. But, if you look at the large sample under the play-calling of Jason Garrett, it is clear that there is a split in objectives and intentions between home games and road games.

Let's look at some evidence.

The best way a play caller can send a message to his opponent is by calling plays on 1st Down. It establishes the tone and attitude of the offense and declares to the opponent what is planned for the day.

But, when the Cowboys have been at home this season, on 1st and 10, the Cowboys have run 177 plays. The splits for those 177 snaps to start a play sequence has been 98 runs and 79 passes. The 55%/45% split demonstrates proper balance for a balanced offense. On 1st Down, you run the ball more because on 3rd Down, you almost never run. But as a whole, 55% runs on 1st Down will mean that your overall balance will be intact.

Conversely, when the Cowboys have played their 6 games on the road, they have had 172 1st and 10 situations. The splits on 1st Down when they have been on the road has seen just 68 runs and 104 passes. This 39%/61% split on 1st and 10 sets the Cowboys up for days where they never get anything done on the ground and become a 1-dimensional team. We have even heard explanations about the opponent putting an eighth man in the box to encourage the Cowboys to start slinging the ball around the yard.

Those last several paragraphs are why people like me constantly beg Jerry Jones to properly address his offensive and defensive lines. Once you can protect and fortify your pass protection and run game, then you can actually get back to the objectives of football. To grind out a win by forcing your will on your opponent, rather than trying to keep Vince Wilfork or Jason Pierre Paul from injuring your QB. And, what would be so bad about having a few players on defense that put the fear of Randy White in the minds of your opponents?

Football is a game that is won up front. And it always has been. Despite the evolutions in the game, it still comes back to the line of scrimmage. Which is why I will always argue for David DeCastro or Fletcher Cox on draft day and I will always cringe when some talking head brings up the idea that Tony Romo is on the hot seat after putting up a 31/10 season.

Which brings us to a piece of video from the current series on the NFL Network, Top 100. It profiles and ranks players from 100 to 1, and gives us 10 hours of football content during the heart of the offseason. During Jason Witten's profile, he had a brief reference to this point that validates the issues in the New England game from last October:



Witten is talking to the receivers at the 2:45 mark of that video in Foxboro on the bench: "Listen, here's the game. Stops, seam stops, drags. That's what we have to do. If we can't hold up the protection, we have to get the ball out and do something with it."

What he was talking about were the extremely short routes that are a counter to your offensive line falling apart (again). They were reduced to 3 and 5 step drops in this game and many others because the line was getting destroyed. And when you don't have protection, you can't hold the ball (or run the ball). So you have to throw quick routes into tight confines (because the defense knows you can't protect and they are jumping the short routes, too).

So, we can talk Dez or DeMarco or Romo all we want. It is fun to do and they are important pieces. But, you can see, that the game plan is different when the Cowboys know they are outclassed at the line of scrimmage. We don't see the "Jason Garrett Offense". Instead, we see "the offense that they think they can run without getting Romo killed" offense. If you can't block Vince Wilfork and friends - or the Giants in New York or the Eagles in Philadelphia - then you cannot get your run game going. You also seldom can throw the ball deep. And on and on it goes.

Before long, you are getting mad at Romo and Garrett for play calling and not putting points on the board. And in both cases, they are partly to blame. But, the real blame goes to the fact that even when everyone is healthy, in 2011, the offensive line was nowhere near the level of a contender. Nowhere near, in fact. And you cannot look at sacks allowed to validate this fact. Because, the Cowboys were avoiding sacks by not calling plays where there was any chance of sacks. But, that was limiting their offense in these key "showdown" games to 20% of their playbook. Vanilla, quick hitting passes and shotgun draws. It is easy to defend and difficult to put points on the board. And we really shouldn't blame the players on that offensive line, but rather the architects of the roster who put them in that position that they were not ready for. The decision makers who shape the roster are the ultimate stop for the credit or blame of any franchise.

We hope that in 2012, the problems have been fixed, but we will definitely have to see that interior hold up against live action before we are willing to go out on that limb.

But, until that time, we will continue to hear people tell us that Romo is just not a great leader and needs to be more clutch from those that shape opinions.

Or, we can watch baseball.

11 for '11: #3 - 3rd and 21 Sandlot Play

The Following is the 3rd in an 11-part weekly series throughout the summer that will focus on the eleven plays that shaped 2011 for the Dallas Cowboys. Every game, about 130 actual plays happen and over the course of a season that number can exceed 2,000. But, we have selected 11 and will pick one each week and break it down from standpoint of "X's and O's" and see what we can learn looking back. The plays are not ranked, simply presented as the season unfolded. We hope you enjoy.

As we look at the plays of the 2011 season that had the most impact, there are very few that come to mind that demonstrate the ability to defy the X's and O's like this particular play in Week 3 against the Washington Redskins.

To set up a few details, we must recall a couple things. First, the Cowboys have been dealing with all manor of injuries to their passing game. Miles Austin is not playing. Dez Bryant is attempting to return after missing the San Francisco game in Week 2. Laurent Robinson is making his Cowboys debut in this game after rushing to learn the playbook. And, maybe most importantly, Tony Romo is playing despite reports all week that it would be pretty difficult to play in this Monday Night game with his ribs and punctured lung preventing his ability to get comfortable. Reports all week about wearing special protection and sleeping in a chair at night were all over the news and therefore on the mind of all viewers.

Second, the game had been an absolute war. Both defenses were winning the battles most of the way. It was a very physical game, and from a Cowboys' perspective, a very frustrating one. The drives that were not sabotaged by poor execution by the offense was destroyed by a big night from a talented Redskins' defense. Laron Landry was destroying quite a few plays and the bookends of Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan were showing that they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Seldom do we have a game where there are 10 scores, and yet neither team breaks 20 points, but that happened in this divisional battle. The Cowboys surrendered the only touchdown of the game late in the 3rd Quarter as Tim Hightower caught a 1-yard Touchdown pass from Rex Grossman and the game went to the 4th Quarter with the visiting Redskins ahead, 16-12.

The 4th Quarter continued the theme of frustrating offense. The Cowboys could just not get into the end zone. And, despite kicking another field goal, would still trail 16-15 when they stopped the Redskins and forced a punt with under 4 minutes to play.

If Dallas was going to salvage this battle, they would have to generate points on this final drive from their own 14 yard line.

2 passes, 7 yards to Witten and 20 yards to Kevin Ogletree on a skinny post would get the ball to the 41 yard line.

On 1st Down from the 41, Jim Haslett and the Redskins are showing a Cover 0 blitz. This coverage simply means that they are bringing every available man. The Cowboys have 3 WR which are all locked in man coverage with their DB. Otherwise, all 8 Redskins defenders are lined up across the line and showing that they are all coming to get Romo. The only exception would be on the two players who are accounting for Felix Jones and Jason Witten. If they stay in to block, they are rushing. But, if Witten releases into a route, then the defender will go with. But, usually, when a team shows Cover 0, the QB then audibles to make sure his players stay home to pass protect in a situation like this.

We can only assume that Romo was attempting to change his play at the line to make that adjustment, but we will never know. Because as he is talking to Witten and his receivers, Phil Costa gets antsy and snaps the ball past Romo with his 3rd errant shotgun snap of the evening. Costa was having an awful night, which only added to the strife that existed in Cowboys' land after what appeared to be the premature release of veteran center, Andre Gurode only 2 weeks prior.

The ball fired past Romo and luckily, the ball bounced perfectly to Romo as Ryan Kerrigan is fighting to scoop the ball up as well. Felix Jones did a nice job of getting a shoulder into Kerrigan or surely the large linebacker was going to knock the ball free. The Cowboys lost 11 yards on the miscue, and Costa would get an earful from Romo, but they would retain possession.

2nd and 21. Again, the Redskins show Cover 0. Again, the Cowboys put on a slide protection and try to throw a quick slant to Robinson. Incomplete, but even if it was caught, it was only going for a yard or two. With 2 timeouts, it is possible that a punt and a stop could leave the Cowboys a desperation chance after a punt, but quite likely, the game would come down to the next play.

3rd and 21. The league conversion rate for 3rd and more than 10 yards is under 20%. The NFL average for 3rd and 20 is quite minute, and last year, the Cowboys were a very poor 3rd Down team in the 1st half of the season. Now, they faced a situation where they had to try to convert a 3rd and very long.

Let's consider the Redskins situation. They could assume that the Cowboys might consider this a 2 play situation to get 21 yards, but even so, if ever there was a spot where a very conservative approach on defense might be called for, it would seem this was it. The Cowboys passing attack had not shown - especially with the group of receivers they have available that they were potent. And we should all understand that Cover 0 blitzes have been phased out in the NFL more and more as the years have gone along because of the fact that they are too risky for defenses. Instead, the fire-zone blitzes are the new evolution, because those allow for chaos in pass protection, but still allow a 3-3 zone behind it. any blitz that allows a 6 man coverage is still tactically sound.

But, a cover 0 blitz? Sending 8 and the other 3 defenders are in man-to-man. Any bust in coverage is going to be a big play that will often end in a Touchdown. But, it worked on 1st and 2nd down. So maybe, Haslett thought his defense could do it one more time.

The Play: 3rd and 21 from Dallas 30 yard line - 2:20 left 4th Quarter - 12 Personnel (1RB, 2TE, 2WR)

The Cowboys bring on John Phillips for Robinson and Tashard Choice in for Felix Jones.

Picture #1 (Click on any picture to enlarge) shows that Romo sees the Redskins again in that same Cover 0 look. He has to believe that they are simply showing this look and will fall into something more conservative on 3rd and 21. The odds of a team blitzing out of Cover 0 3 times in a row with the game on the line just seems unlikely. Witten is in the slot left with Ogletree wide left. This is also the spot where he occupied on the Jesse Holley TD the week before.

#1


I encourage you to click on picture #2. It is clear that here, Ogletree is on a 10 yard sideline route and Witten is on his normal 10 yard hook. Both of these routes suggest that Cowboys are not going for 21 yards, they are running routes that can A) happen quick enough against Cover 0 blitzes and B) cut the mountain in half to set up a 4th and 10. Dez Bryant, as we saw in picture #1 is being played off by DeAngelo Hall. Hall is giving him space and the Cowboys have him set up for a quick pass from Romo (an obvious counter to a blitz) and there he will have a chance to get a chunk of yardage, especially if he can get Hall to miss on his tackle. Now, look at Romo. Romo is waving Bryant down the field with his left arm.

#2


In Picture #3, we see a few things that make this play amazing. First, Witten and Ogletree are eliminated from the play when Romo starts back-pedaling to his right. He knows that this play is now about one receiver and one chance. When he made this decision is open for debate, but at some juncture, Dez and Romo had the same idea. Go deep. The key for Dez is simple, give Romo the inside path. If Bryant can cross the face of Hall and have the entire open side of the field to work with, this play has a chance. Meanwhile, you can see London Fletcher free and within 5 yards of Romo. Tony now must let the ball go and give Dez a chance.

#3


And by picture #4, it is all over. Bryant had inside leverage and was able to keep Hall behind him and make the catch. Tack on a few more yards in the struggle and 15 more on a Hall face mask, and the Cowboys have not only converted a 3rd and 21, but also took the ball all the way to the Washington 25. It was an amazing 45 yard gain in all.

#4


Now, let's look from the End Zone. Picture #5 shows us that the Redskins lined up their Cover 0 blitz with a nice adjustment. Instead of having the two DBs as the most outside rushers, they have Orakpo (98) and Kerrigan (91) as the outsides. What this means is a difficult block for the RB if the Cowboys do what they will most certainly do, slide protection.

#5


Slide protection is how you try to block 8 players with only 7 blockers. It is trying to make a wall with your offensive line. In this case, they slide left. Which means, Free gets the flank with Orakpo. Then everyone takes the guy to his left. Of course, numbers-wise, this will not totally work out, so Phillips (lined up to Romo's right) will take the 7th man, OJ Atogwe (20) and Tashard Choice is going to try to get all the way across Romo and block the 8th man, Kerrigan (91). This, of course, is a mismatch.

#6


In Picture #7, you can see the man who comes free is Fletcher (59). This happens, because on the slide, Bill Nagy was trying to get Fletcher and Landry. This is why Romo starts backpedaling to his right, because he knows that math isn't going to hold up. Fletcher is running free and Romo is still backpedaling to buy Dez just a few more blinks of the eye to get inside leverage on Hall.

#7


Now, Romo is all the way back at his own 15, 15 full yards behind the line of scrimmage. Fletcher is closing in fast, so Romo is going to take a shot in the mouth if he doesn't release the ball now. But, since there is no safety in center field, Romo can simply lead Bryant and Hall can only hope the pass is off.

#8


Finally, the ball is now in the air. As you can see, DeAngelo Hall is well out of position here. And the 30 yard pass play on 3rd and 21 is about to be completed.

#9


It is only a play that works if the Redskins gamble on defense. The issue I would have with Haslett is that given his circumstances, his risk/reward meters seemed way out of balance. When expecting a long pass, you surely want to make sure you are minding center field. Otherwise, you are basing the entire game on the idea that you can get Romo with this blitz. And when you have the lead in the game, that is just not smart football.

Below, you can see the entire play off the TV copy and check it out for yourself. It was a great job by Romo again for figuring out a way to ignore the Xs and Os of the play call and figure it out as it is all happening. This is the upside of the gunslinger after we saw the downside with the Jets game. Also, a throw that is in open space to lead a receiver will come up again when Romo and Miles Austin could have clinched the Giants game in December - a play that will live in infamy.

Regardless, this was a very important play and one that shows that every once in a while, your opponent does you a favor. And their coaches make poor decisions, too.



11 for '11 series:

1. The Revis Interception
2. The Home Run to Holley

Cowboys Mailbag - 6/2

OK, another Saturday morning is here, so let's knock out a weekend Cowboys mailbag! Generally, when I do this during this time of year, about 3 guys a week will ask why we are talking Cowboys now? Nothing is going on? How can you guys possibly talk Cowboys in May and June?

Here's how: We look at real issues and real items that are on our mind. Football is now 52 weeks a year, and with film study and new players to discuss, there is always time for Cowboys talk. So, if you have your favorite NFL team on your mind, let's go.

Here are some links to get you started:

The Fox Sports Southwest Bob Sturm Archive Page - This page will give you every thing I have written since the draft, including a profile on every player the Cowboys have added through the draft and plenty of other items, too. If you missed any, you can get up to speed right there.

The Full Bob Sturm Archive Page - This will get you all the way back to everything I have written since 2005 on the Cowboys and everything else. So, if you are like me, and you want to reference something we spent time on last November - In this case, a thorough breakdown of Rob Ryan's Fire Zone Blitzing - Then, these links will be useful to you.

Now, on to your emails:

I really enjoy your blog. It’s the best there is. Last year, when you were writing for the Dallas Morning News, you profiled the entire team. I found it particularly useful for more marginal players. This year, I’m wondering what your thoughts are about the trio of young receivers, Raymond Radway, Andre Holmes and Dwayne Harris, the Cowboys have on their roster. Radway seemed gifted in the pre-season (which happens from time to time with players who really lack the elite skills necessary for the real games). Any chance you could do a column on these players and other background players whom you see (or those you respect see) as having a chance to develop?

Thank you.

Regards,

J. David Green

Thanks, Mr. Green. I appreciate you bringing this up and I think for next week I will attempt to write a column about the "5 players on the roster that you might not know much about that you should get to know fast" or something like that. On that list for sure need to be the 2 developmental WRs, Radway and Holmes.

The Cowboys are thought to have the thinnest Wide Receiver corps in the division. In fact, yesterday on the air I was discussing the controversial idea that the Redskins may have the most receiver depth now from 1-4 or 1-5 in the Wide Receiver groups. Let's look at that now:

Cowboys: Bryant, Austin, Ogletree, Coale, Harris or Radway or Holmes
Eagles: DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper, Jason Avant, Marvin McNutt
Giants: Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, Rueben Randle, Ramses Barden, Jerrel Jernigan
Redskins: Pierre Garcon, Santana Moss, Josh Morgan, Leonard Hankerson, Anthony Armstrong

So, you can see, if you go 2 deep, you have to look at all 4 teams as quite reasonable. I think I would rater Nicks and Cruz above Bryant and Austin and Jackson and Maclin, personally, but all the teams are fortified there. Garcon and Moss may not have that top side game breaking, but Garcon is better than people think, and this myth that he is a Peyton Manning creation should be discussed against the reality that he had his best season of 70 catches and 947 yards last season as Manning watched from the sideline.

Now, factor in the 3rd receiver, and it would seem that much depends on the young development of Rueben Randle who might experience the biggest uptick in QB play possible in going from LSU to the NY Giants. Josh Morgan is an ideal 3rd WR in Washington after a bad 2011 in San Francisco. His 2010 had 700 yards and some pretty impressive catches. Jason Avant is a steady veteran who finds gaps in the secondary and Kevin Ogletree isn't scaring anyone.

But, when you go 4 deep, and the Redskins can run out the impressive Leonard Hankerson from Miami, that is where their depth of quality 1-4 might put them near the top of the division. I know that is all on paper, but the Redskins have done a very nice job of collecting weapons for Robert Griffin. RG3 has some places to go with the ball, it would appear.

But, however you measure things, 1-3 or 1-4 or 1-5, the depth of receiving corps at this point leave the Cowboys in last place in the division. Every team has a better option at #3 and #4 unless there is something cooking in the Cowboys camp that nobody else across the league is aware of.

Which brings us back to Radway and Holmes.

Raymond Radway is somewhat known for the way his 2011 camp went. He turned heads and appeared to have made the team as a McKinney kid who attended Abilene Christian. At 6'3, 195, he ran a 4.4 40 and can jump 38" so he has that athleticism that turned heads the moment he arrived. He was undrafted but jumped off the screen in some preseason games and looked poised to make the squad. But, with 3 seconds left in the final preseason game, he broke his leg badly in the end zone in Miami. 3 seconds separated him from making the roster by most accounts.

So, now he his healed and as fast as ever and ready to make an impression in camp again. So, we shall see.

Andre Holmes is from Chicago and attended Hillsdale College. There he had ridiculous numbers for a college receiver with over 100 catches and 1300 yards his senior season with 11 touchdowns. He is 6'5, 210 and that type of frame makes him a very attractive candidate for the position. He also has tremendous hands and is a very smart player. His dad played professional basketball overseas after a college career at DePaul. He was originally signed by the Vikings out of college, but did not make their roster through camp and the Cowboys grabbed him for the practice squad. He impressed the Cowboys so much through the season that they then moved him to the active roster in December to make sure no other teams tried to pluck him away off the practice squad.

Now, both of these players are undrafted free agents from the class of 2011. But, in both cases, the buzz about them both is such that we must take notice. The Cowboys, who are not above a judgement error, felt that Wide Receiver was not a desperate position on draft day because of these two. They think that one of them might be the answer to depth issues while everyone else in the football world is assuming Kevin Ogletree is that guy. I don't think the Cowboys have much hope for Ogletree at this point rather than as an insurance policy in case one of these guys or Danny Coale doesn't work out. I don't have much hope for Dwayne Harris, but perhaps he is the answer as the no-risk punt return guy. More on that, soon.

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Should the Cowboys guards completely fail this year, ( to the point that it is very obvious they are not the answer) do the Cowboys have an escape plan? Are we going to be handcuffed to these 2 for years to come?

Stay hard,

P1 Jeff

Jeff, I think the Cowboys contracts that are in place for Nate Livings and Mac Bernadeau are such that if they do not work out they are easily disposed of after 2 seasons. Neither will be a millstone around the cap's neck. However, the very real issues of what are the plans this year to fix the interior issues on the offensive line which I think are substantial would still remain. There are others who we are thinking might be solutions, including Ronald Leary form Memphis and last year's 4th Round pick who has yet to be active on a Sunday, David Arkin, and Bill Nagy. They have numbers. But, like Wide Receiver, to the non Cowboys optimist, most NFL observers are sifting through the names as if it is the Indians roster at the start of the movie, Major League ("Who are these guys?").

They will have a chance to be pretty good if the Cowboys can get what they need from the group, but they are surely trying to do it without the major draft investment (David DeCastro) or major free agency investment (Carl Nicks) that many of us would have preferred. To suggest it is a area of importance in a division that requires your OL to handle the fronts in New York and Philadelphia is a tremendous understatement.

Time will tell, but we might be having these conversations about the wide receivers and offensive line next offseason, too.

Have a great weekend!