Dallas Cowboys 2009 Offensive Team Stats…where do we go from here?

Ok guys! I know that this article might be a little bit late but I figured if I could put last seasons performance in numbers that it would give a clearer vision of where we need to be headed for the 2010 season. I am going to break this down as simple as I can, with highlighting certain areas that I think we all know have been issues.

Offense

2nd in Total Yards per Game– In first place…Super Bowl Champions New Orleans Saints with 403.8.

14th in Points Scored with 361– This clearly doesn’t match up with our 2nd overall ranking of Yds/Game. To me this shows that we still need a lot of improvement in the Red Zone, which I am sure a lot of Cowboys fans already know. I believe we need to find more plays for Jason Witten to get open in the end zone being he only had 1 TD last year. I also think Martellus Bennett needs to step up more to also fill that role. I do like that fact that the Cowboys have been working more on the “back-shoulder” throw that has been given us our first TD of the preseason to Miles Austin.

6th in Pass Yards per Game with 267.9/ 7th in Rush Yards per Game with 4.8 (2,103 Total Yards)- These are clearly numbers that the Cowboys should be proud of. With a 6th ranking in pass and 7th in rushing, in the same season, shows that Dallas has a great overall offense. They are very balanced and with players looking to be bigger key role players this year. We should look towards a dominating season if Felix Jones and Dez Bryant become that X-Factor that Dallas Cowboys need in order to go over the top.

3rd in Total Penalties with 115/8th in Penalty Yards with 892– For all those people out there that thought Flozell Adams should of not been released should take notice to this. I know that he doesn’t account for ALL of the penalties, but how many times do you yell at the television cringing everytime there is a false start call being made?…KNOWING that it’s Flozell before the ref even has a chance to announce it. Dallas needs to remain more focused and not let stupid mental mistakes keep occuring that keep us from getting into the end zone.

15th in QB Sacks Allowed with 34/16th in QB Hits Allowed with 78– I will give credit to Flozell did a heck of a job, after the ball was snapped, to protect our franchise QB. Now that he is gone Doug Free has not been a “?” anymore. I know that he was the talk of the off-season but has already shown himself to not be that big of an issue during the preseason. Now if we can just keep our O-Line healthy and also keep a secure roster depth at that position, then we should be ok. Not to mention that a lot has been talked about Leonard Davis needing to be as good of a pass blocker as he is a rush blocker.

6th in Time of Possession per Game with 32.17– This is a good stat just need to it as it is.

14th in 3rd Down Percentage with 41%– This stat is NOT so good. Dallas Cowboys were 82/202 for the season in 3rd Down success/attempts. I think that this falls on Roy Williams whom Romo has tried time and time again to go to and build his confidence. We all know the Roy Williams situation, but maybe with Dez Bryant coming in, things could all change.

I think that the Cowboys are doing well on addressing the offensive problems that occurred last season. I know that preseason isn’t looking that great, but it’s PRESEASON! Jason Garrett is clearly not showing all of his cards before the games really count. But truthfully, Dallas Cowboys Nation would like to see better execution in their plays.

My next article will focus more on their defensive struggles and what they need to do to get over the hump there. I know that a lot of rookies from last year will step up this season to really contribute when the dominating starters can’t be in. Plus, I know that we ended the season great, defensively, with a couple of shut outs…but we still need to work on those things that will give our offense a better chance of scoring….turnovers. Luckily, our defense is looking like they are leaving where they left off last year, just only better. I am looking forward to a lot of excitement this year on both sides of the ball…especially if the defense steps up even more.