Bob Sacamano
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Right, dbair. They ran the Romo offense on Saturday night with Dak in there.
- Thread starter dbair1967
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I haven't seen that particular gripe. The gripe i see most is about the 5 wideout set with shotgun, (empty backfield). I haven't seen anyone complaining about the use of the shotgun itself, only the empty set. This was most prevalent when we had the league leading rusher on a hot streak, and would take him out of the game on 3rd and short/medium and go 5 wide.
Nobody minds the shotgun, that I've seen.
Bob Sacamano
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It's not mind-bogging. It's simply Garrett. We've seen for years now how reactionary he is. From losing a game having Romo throw it 50 times, to the next week doing nothing but run the football.
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Did you watch the game? If so would you care to describe what you saw that looked vastly different?
Again if its just running some pass plays from the shotgun (which we do all the time) and keeping an extra TE into block on a few plays (which we also do all the time and have for years) then like I said, there isn't much to it.
I saw some slants to Beasley and Street. I saw a deep route to TW on a route that he (or another WR) have run numerous times. The PA pass/downfield throw to Bruce Butler is the same exact play Aikman ran 100's of times when Norv Turner and Ernie Zampese were OC. He threw a couple back shoulder fades to Dez, again nothing new there. He ran a couple of perfectly executed screen passes and displayed great timing/touch on those.
I didn't see anything that looked "different" other than if you want to say his level of play was vastly "different" than any other backup we've trotted out there recently.
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I tried to tell you that Prescott had potential.
I don't know how the TD pass to Terrance Williams struck other people. I said "Wow" when I saw it. But that's not the first time Prescott has thrown like that. When it happened at Mississippi State, I said "Wow" then too. He's capable of throwing a perfect ball.
Those two passes to Dez ... they weren't flukes. At Mississippi State, Prescott threw the same passes to De'Runnya Wilson on a fairly regular basis (although Wilson didn't always come down with them).
Prescott's receivers were merely o.k. at Mississippi State. Fred Ross is a quality WR who may have an NFL career (beginning in 2017), but none of Prescott's receivers were outstanding college players. I'm looking forward to seeing what Prescott can do with the vastly superior receivers in Dallas, assuming he has the chance to do more of it.
Prescott didn't play behind a dominant OL in college. He was his team's best runner. That shouldn't be the case in Dallas.
Going into the draft, my main concern with Prescott was what I perceived to be his tendency to hold the ball too long. Maybe he'll fix that. Maybe he won't.
4th round picks very rarely become quality starting NFL QBs. Prescott has obvious potential, but he is a long shot.
He is in an awfully good situation in Dallas, I think. Top notch OL. Very talented receivers and RBs. If he doesn't make it in Dallas, he probably wouldn't have made it anywhere else.
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Exactly. Less pressure on him than Goff/Wentz because he's a 4th rounder and no one expects him to play this year due to Romo.
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Days after Dbairs Day after Preseason, thoughts.
1) I still think that last years total bungling of the back-up QB situation (which Garrett, Jerry, and Stephen all have the same script "it was a combination of coaching, administrative, personnel, and player failures") as well as very poor problem solving and lack of coaching, caused the preparation for Dak's success in the game. I saw more crossing patterns than in other games (which have been so successful with Dez, TWilly, and Beasley but used so infrequently that it seems like Garrett or Romo forget that the crossing patterns are options) and the distance routes nicely followed either good running gains or gave an element of surprise. It just seemed like there was a lot more intentional coaching and direction with Dak, which is good, but aggravating that they could not do this last year.
2) Morris looked solid but Jackson looked like a playmaker. Two things though: Jackson's QB protection lacked some instincts and the running plays (if preseason is any indication of the regular season, which it might not be) were just stupid. Very Garrett to have a bunch of plays that lack misdirection, lack deception, lack setting up for success and lack logic but require the player (the running back) to just make plays and beat the player in front of him. He has the same philosophy with his 9 routes and Romo just makes it work. If you recall 2014, the gaps emerged often on the sides of the line for Murray to have the one cut and go. Then Callahan would have the O-line seemingly pass block and let Murray run up the middle gaps. I don't know what Linehan is thinking is supposed to happen when three of Dallas's offensive linemen are metastasized in the middle of the field and Morris or Jackson or supposed to navigate a path???
3) Agree with DBair about this statement: "Starting WR group was exceptional." But the routes they ran matched their strengths. What a concept?!?! Let Beasley run the crossing and quick out routes where he is virtually uncoverable. Let Dez run the back shoulder, the fade, the corner fade, the quick slant and the skinny post where his strength to overpower the coverage is successful without need or reliance on speed. Let TWilly run anything where the ball falls down to him and he can scoop and /or press the ball against his bosom. Let there be no pass that he must attack the ball in the air above his chin. TWilly runs like Jar Jar Binks. Devin Street was aggravating. Yes, he was open but anyone on the offense would have been open on those plays and his run after the catch rivals that of Betty White. Vince Mayle was okay but really the team needs the fast and quick over the tall and gangly.
But let's be careful: the defense set up a score and Whitehead was solely responsible for a TD on the kickoff. That really means the offense did not generate much. The Garrett legacy is 2.5 TDs a game from his offense. Except 2007, 2009, and 2014, the other years his offense could not average 3TDs a game.
4) I really expect a lot more from Pollack. A dominating o-line can not be a reputation or a concept without consistent evidence. How can the next layer be so bad?
5) Lucky Whitehead is Az Hakir Hakim. Who cares if they don't throw him the ball, let him return kicks, run the jet sweep, and quirky gadgets.
6) Mark Nzeocha! He makes plays for the most part. I did see him kind of slow up tracking some ball carriers as if "oh someone else will tackle him,might don't need to put in any effort". Nzeocha plays the ball in the air and is not a liability. Has speed and size and great instincts.
On the downside,
1) I'm done with the Swaim experiment. And frankly Jones was like the Sam Hurd "great practice player, but no show on the big stage."
2) The kick and punt coverage was not sharp or decisive. But what worried me was that the run defense really lacks a solid big fat thumper in the middle. Once the "rush men" lunge upfield, the LBs are vulnerable. Worried about the redux of the 2000 pickle juice season where the Eagles showed the league that Dallas could not stop the run up the middle.
3) the DEs were not ready for prime time.
4) the tackling was sloppy. JJ Wilcox is still not ready to be out if his kennel. Frazier whiffed more than he hit and agree with DBair that Wilbur is actually hurting the team taking a roster spot and doing nothing.
----
But here's the thing with Dak and it was best displayed through Showers impressive escape and pass to Mayle: if Dallas can just keep the running game inventive and effective and keep the passing game functional to the talent they have then if Dak needs to, he can buy time with his feet or just run and punish the defense. Isn't that enough for a back-up to Romo?
1) I still think that last years total bungling of the back-up QB situation (which Garrett, Jerry, and Stephen all have the same script "it was a combination of coaching, administrative, personnel, and player failures") as well as very poor problem solving and lack of coaching, caused the preparation for Dak's success in the game. I saw more crossing patterns than in other games (which have been so successful with Dez, TWilly, and Beasley but used so infrequently that it seems like Garrett or Romo forget that the crossing patterns are options) and the distance routes nicely followed either good running gains or gave an element of surprise. It just seemed like there was a lot more intentional coaching and direction with Dak, which is good, but aggravating that they could not do this last year.
2) Morris looked solid but Jackson looked like a playmaker. Two things though: Jackson's QB protection lacked some instincts and the running plays (if preseason is any indication of the regular season, which it might not be) were just stupid. Very Garrett to have a bunch of plays that lack misdirection, lack deception, lack setting up for success and lack logic but require the player (the running back) to just make plays and beat the player in front of him. He has the same philosophy with his 9 routes and Romo just makes it work. If you recall 2014, the gaps emerged often on the sides of the line for Murray to have the one cut and go. Then Callahan would have the O-line seemingly pass block and let Murray run up the middle gaps. I don't know what Linehan is thinking is supposed to happen when three of Dallas's offensive linemen are metastasized in the middle of the field and Morris or Jackson or supposed to navigate a path???
3) Agree with DBair about this statement: "Starting WR group was exceptional." But the routes they ran matched their strengths. What a concept?!?! Let Beasley run the crossing and quick out routes where he is virtually uncoverable. Let Dez run the back shoulder, the fade, the corner fade, the quick slant and the skinny post where his strength to overpower the coverage is successful without need or reliance on speed. Let TWilly run anything where the ball falls down to him and he can scoop and /or press the ball against his bosom. Let there be no pass that he must attack the ball in the air above his chin. TWilly runs like Jar Jar Binks. Devin Street was aggravating. Yes, he was open but anyone on the offense would have been open on those plays and his run after the catch rivals that of Betty White. Vince Mayle was okay but really the team needs the fast and quick over the tall and gangly.
But let's be careful: the defense set up a score and Whitehead was solely responsible for a TD on the kickoff. That really means the offense did not generate much. The Garrett legacy is 2.5 TDs a game from his offense. Except 2007, 2009, and 2014, the other years his offense could not average 3TDs a game.
4) I really expect a lot more from Pollack. A dominating o-line can not be a reputation or a concept without consistent evidence. How can the next layer be so bad?
5) Lucky Whitehead is Az Hakir Hakim. Who cares if they don't throw him the ball, let him return kicks, run the jet sweep, and quirky gadgets.
6) Mark Nzeocha! He makes plays for the most part. I did see him kind of slow up tracking some ball carriers as if "oh someone else will tackle him,might don't need to put in any effort". Nzeocha plays the ball in the air and is not a liability. Has speed and size and great instincts.
On the downside,
1) I'm done with the Swaim experiment. And frankly Jones was like the Sam Hurd "great practice player, but no show on the big stage."
2) The kick and punt coverage was not sharp or decisive. But what worried me was that the run defense really lacks a solid big fat thumper in the middle. Once the "rush men" lunge upfield, the LBs are vulnerable. Worried about the redux of the 2000 pickle juice season where the Eagles showed the league that Dallas could not stop the run up the middle.
3) the DEs were not ready for prime time.
4) the tackling was sloppy. JJ Wilcox is still not ready to be out if his kennel. Frazier whiffed more than he hit and agree with DBair that Wilbur is actually hurting the team taking a roster spot and doing nothing.
----
But here's the thing with Dak and it was best displayed through Showers impressive escape and pass to Mayle: if Dallas can just keep the running game inventive and effective and keep the passing game functional to the talent they have then if Dak needs to, he can buy time with his feet or just run and punish the defense. Isn't that enough for a back-up to Romo?