The Dallas Cowboys are coming of one of their worst performances that I have personally witnessed. There is no need to sugarcoat things, the Denver Broncos simply made the Cowboys look like they were the Cleveland Browns. Fortunately, I think we will see a bounce back performance this week against the Arizona Cardinals and I believe offensive coordinator Scott Linehan will have a lot to do with that.
Arguably the most surprising thing last week for the Cowboys was how god-awful the offense performed against the Denver Broncos. It didn’t matter if they were trying to run or pass the ball, the Broncos seemed to have the answer for everything. This is simply unacceptable, especially with all the firepower the Cowboys have on offense.
I personally believe the playcalling needs to improve and that’s where Scott Linehan comes in. Linehan has far too many weapons at his disposal for any defense in the NFL to shut them down the way the Broncos did last week. Luckily, I believe there are 3 ways he can get the Cowboys offense back on track this week.
Help Dak Prescott Settle In Early
It’s no secret that QB Dak Prescott has been uncharacteristically inaccurate in the first two weeks of the 2017 season. It’s really nothing to be too alarmed about considering the Dallas Cowboys have played two really good defenses who have Pro Bowl caliber cornerbacks, but it still seems as if his confidence is just a little bit off. Fortunately, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan should be able to help with that.
Dak Prescott seems to struggle the most with his accuracy early in the game, at least these first two games anyway. It seems take him a little while to settle down, so I think Linehan would be wise to help him settle in early. Linehan can do that by designing some easy completions early on to build Prescott’s confidence. This is not a new concept/idea, but it means the playcalling needs to improve or the execution, possibly both.
With all of the weapons the Dallas Cowboys currently have on the roster this shouldn’t be a problem. It could be a simple dump off pass to Ezekiel Elliott or even a high percentage throw on an intermediate pass to Cole Beasley. Then again, Jason Witten has been the most consistent so far this season and could be the beneficiary. My point is there are endless possibilities, but Scott Linehan definitely needs to do a better job in order to help Prescott get going early.
Find Mismatches For Dez Bryant
This may surprise a lot of you since there are those among you who believe Dez Bryant isn’t the player he once was, but I assure you that’s inaccurate. I’ve been hearing far too often that the Dallas Cowboys need to trade or cut Bryant because he’s not worth the money he is making. But, OC Scott Linehan has been doing him a disservice with his playcalling.
The way that Dez Bryant has been utilized in these first two games of 2017 season really plays right into the hands of the opposing defenses. He has had to go up against Pro Bowl caliber CBs against both the Giants and Broncos, and has been at a disadvantage from the get-go. Linehan has been lining him up out wide where the CB can get their hands on #88 and be physical/handsy before he can even get into his route.
Dez Bryant would be much better utilized on the move or out of the slot where he can actually use his own physicality to his advantage. If Linehan were able to get the ball to Bryant on the move on crossing routes, it would be a huge advantage to the entire offense. Instead we are seeing a lot of 50/50 contested passes thrown his way or back shoulder fades. There just needs to be more passes thrown his way that have a higher chance of being completed.
Create More Opportunities For Ezekiel Elliott
We heard all off-season that the Dallas Cowboys were planning to use Ezekiel Elliott more in both the running and passing game, but that has yet to come to fruition. Now, I understand the Cowboys have gone up against two pretty good defenses, but there have been missed opportunities for Elliott, especially in the passing game.
Personally, I was shocked that Scott Linehan didn’t try to get Elliot the ball out in space against the Broncos last week. The Broncos defense completely sold out to shut down the running game for the Cowboys, and it worked. But, with all of the Broncos defenders focusing on the run, there were still opportunities to get Elliott the ball in the passing game.
There were several instances where there was just one defender covering Elliot in the passing game. I don’t know about you, but I like the odds of Elliott beating that one defender and picking up a good chunk of yards. They were just simple dump off/swing passes, but it would’ve helped Elliott get more involved and put the Broncos defense on their heels a little bit more.
Brian, You’re on fire. It appears that Linehan is in a slump and opposing defensive coordinator have figured the Cowboys offensive tendencies. It’s time for Linehan to mix it up, starting with the Cardinals on Monday Night, to get the Cowboys offense back on track and. Especially, with Dak, bringing him back to his 2016 form.
Thanks for the compliment. When you get punched in the mouth you only have two choices. You can either fight back or lay down. The Cowboys got punched in the mouth last week and I’m expecting them to fight back against the Cardinals. Hopefully, Linehan fights back as well.
Totally agree with you Brian. I also think it would be wise for them not to target Dez so much early. Let the other guys carry the weight early, so the defense has to make adjustments to stop it, then set Dez loose later.
I don’t have a problem with them targeting Bryant early. I have a problem with the kind of targets he’s seeing. Most of the targets he’s receiving are low percentage completions. I would like to see him targeted early with high percentage passes. i.e. slants, crossing routes, comebacks, etc.
I definitely agree with that. It just feels like if we got Beasley and Williams more involved earlier, it wold better open up the offense for Dez and Zeke.
The same can be said for getting Dez and Zeke started earlier. I think Linehan and Prescott just need to do a better job of spreading the ball around so that defenses can’t focus in on one specific player/area.
Felt they trying to force the ball to Dez.
I think it kinda feels that way because of the kind of passes thrown to him. So far this season the majority of the passes have a low percentage chance of being completed. 50/50 passes and back shoulder fades. I think they need to simplify things and try and get him more easily completed passes. Slants and crossing routes would be a good place to start.
Keep in mind too, every time Dez comes to the huddle he’s saying I’m open get me the ball..That probably screws with Daks head. I know he did that to Tony as well
I agree with the above statement, but there is one thing that I see is a problem. Over 50% of offensive plays are in spread, empty or shot gun formation with the focus on the shot gun formation. Prescott to me is better when he is under center. Defense want be able to read so early.
I partially agree. I do believe Prescott is better under center, but I think that’s because opposing defenses have to respect the run/play action passes more. Prescott is really good with his ball fakes, which is why play action is so effective. It’s more difficult to do when in shotgun, but that will continue to be a big part of their offense.
Is it just me, or have we not seen many plays with a FB lead blocking for Elliott?
It’s not just you. The Cowboys have seemed to believe it has been best to try to spread out the defenses they have faced so far. It is kind of a surprise, because I believed Keith Smith would be involved more on offense this season. Maybe we see more of him this week.
We did see more I formation!
I’m pretty sure it will be a game by game decision. I think Elliott is probably best as a single back, but I think we could see more I formation in short yardage situations.
Ryan Switzer, Cole Beasley, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten,
Run double slots. You can have Cole and Ryan on the same side and put Dez in the slot and Jason on the other side.
Would love to see Ryan play on offense some/more!!!
There are endless possibilities of how creative Linehan can get with all of the offensive weapons at his disposal. Hopefully we start to see that soon, because something needs to change.
Brien , so glad I refound this site , absolutely love your articles and honest assessment of issues facing our team . Keep up the great work !! Thanks again for all you do man . As a Rabbit Cowboys fan and living outside of Boston , it’s refreshing to to have this site to help my obsession… Everything COWBOYS!!!
Tim, thank you for your kind words. I’m glad you found our site again also. Even though I’m a Dallas Cowboys fan, I try not to sugarcoat things too much. It’s a little difficult sometimes not to be biased, but I think my readers appreciated. Thanks again and please continue to read our articles.
Maybe Dak is not as Good as we all thought.. after all he was a 4th round pick..
Prescott is going to be just fine. He’s had to face two really good defensive teams to start out the 2017 season. Both secondaries of the Giants and Broncos have Pro Bowl caliber CBs, but that won’t be the case for the rest of the season. You have to remember, Prescott is still developing/learning. He didn’t have the benefit of sitting behind a vet QB for a year or two like Tony Romo. He was thrust into action almost immediately with very little time to prepare. I think he will be just fine.
Maybe the game has passed scott by, he’s not creative enough. its pretty obvious he has no clue as to maximize dez talents, he will probably let #10 go to waste as well…look what Carolina is doing with their little rookie RB… swing passes eat…. won’t happen but maybe a time for a change,,,
.. but i think Scott needs to step up…
I keep hearing everyone want to blame Jason Garrett. A lot of people keep telling me that it’s Jason Garrett’s offensive system and Scott Linehan is just calling the plays. So, it’s refreshing to hear from someone else that Linehan might just be the problem. And by the way, I agree with you. Linehan either needs to step up or ship out. I would personally like to see a new OC.
Agreed