Happy Dallas Cowboys Game Day!
We’re given, at minimum, 16 of these bad boys every year and we need to make the most of them. This is DCGD numero dos, and it’s happening in and around our nation’s capital. The Cowboys are in Washington today and they’re looking for their first win of the season.
What needs to happen in order for Dallas to get the dubayoo, exactly? I know you’ve got food to prepare for the occasion so let me hit you with the recipe for success so that we can all enjoy this day. Here are my 3 Cowboys Keys To Success.
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Call On The Team’s Most Explosive Player – Dez Bryant
We’ve discussed Dez’s Week 1 stat line – 5 targets, 1 catch, 8 yards – ad nauseam this week. It was, to put things lightly, utterly disgusting.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen Dez Bryant be Dez Bryant, in fact one could argue that he hasn’t been that person since the 2014 game in Washington (where he’ll play today). The Cowboys need to acknowledge his vast skill set and use it – over and over.
Throw it to Dez four times in a row. Seriously. Establish that threat. We’re going to need it.
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Turn Back Time: Run, Run, Run
Bill Callahan, the Cowboys Offensive Line Coach in 2014, decided a year ago that when he went to work on Sundays he wanted to do it slipping on a Washington Redskins polo. Weird, I know. The Cowboys have hardly missed him, they still boasted the league’s 4th Leading Rusher in 2015, but last week they were not the group they’ve been touted to be over the last few seasons.
So much of what the Cowboys want to do is predicated on running the ball and establishing their dominance. The Cowboys want to own the time of possession battle and break team’s wills late in the game. They need to stick to that winning formula.
This not only aids in their offensive attack, but it allows the defense to rest up and consistently play refreshed. Last season’s game in Washington saw the Cowboys blitz more than they did at any other point last season, the time afforded to the defense thanks to the run game undoubtedly aids in this regard.
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Get Creative: “We Didn’t Come Here To Punt”
Whenever I’m faced with a decision on whether I should or shouldn’t do something I think of a phrase that my Dad says all the time – “We didn’t come here to punt.”
This needs to be the Dallas disposition against the Redskins. Obviously I don’t mean they didn’t come here to punt in a literal sense – every team is going to punt in an NFL game – but the Cowboys need to avoid punting when it comes to their creativity.
Nobody is going to be surprised when you run Ezekiel Elliott up the middle. No one fears a Jason Witten or Cole Beasley checkdown. The Cowboys need to stretch the field with guys like Terrance Williams and Brice Butler. They need to use Zeke in the passing game, run jet sweeps with Lucky Whitehead, and get Lance Dunbar out in open space.
Garrett, Linehan, and Co. entered last week’s game against the Giants with a conservative mentality. We all know that. It bit them in the butt as their unwillingness to take risk inhibited their offense’s potential. Get creative, be bold, and go win the damn game.
What are your Game Day Keys to Success for the Cowboys? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @RJOchoa!
