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By Rafael Vela
Former Cowboys running back Duane Thomas tells a story about an enlightening rookie-season chalk talk with Tom Landry. The coach was explaining a goal-line run to his offense. Thomas noticed that Landry accounted for every defender except one linebacker. Thomas raised his hand and asked what to do with him?
"That's an excellent question, Duane," Landry answered. "You run over him."
Once the snickers died down, Landry explained that the defender would be running laterally, and would have a poor angle and leverage to make a tackle. Physics was on the big-back Thomas' side. When the play was run in a game, Thomas was amazed to find that it worked just as Landry had drawn it up. The rookie lowered his shoulder and plowed in for a score.
Flash to Saturday night. Dallas' offense is in goal-line, 2nd down, and five yards from the end zone. This situation has been a headache for play-caller Jason Garrett the last few years. Dallas has had an awful time lining up and running bread-and-butter plays for six points. He's often had to put Tony Romo in the shotgun and throw as a result. Dallas has scored just 29% of its touchdowns on rushing plays in the four years Garrett has called the plays. Marion, Felix and Tashard scored just eight rushing TDs between them last year.
Garrett played to tendency, throwing on first down and failing with a bootleg pass. In past situations, 2nd-and-goal from the five would mean another pass.
This time, Garrett went to his 22 set and ran slant left, a weak-side run to the left edge.
Simple zone blocking to the left side, with Doug Free handling RE Jared Allen, the fullback Jason Pociask lining up the crashing linebacker and Martellus Bennett taking the safety on the edge. As the play progresses, you can see the fullback seal his man inside, while Bennett keeps his feet moving, driving the safety back into the end zone:
A situation now arises, similar to the one Tom Landry drew up for Duane Thomas in 1970. Felix Jones has a Vikings linebacker and safety pursuing him, but Felix has momentum and an outside angle. He doesn't so much run over the pursuers as run through their arm tackles:
Jones drove forward and lunged across for the score. Somewhere, Duane Thomas and his old coach smiled. You imagine Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston did too.
This type of success has been fairly common during the three pre-season games. It's a big reason why the Cowboys have been willing to go deep, personnel wise and cut three starters from last year's line. Those guys couldn't do this. Think the San Diego goal-line fiasco in '09. The two 4th down failures against Washington one week later. The goal-line disappointments against Jacksonville last year.
Every good Cowboys team, be it of the Landry, or the Johnson vintage, has been able to power in for goal-line scores. This type of red-zone production has been lacking since the Chan Gailey days. It appears to be creeping back. Success on these basic runs will make Jason Garrett look like more of a play-calling genius than the truly complex passes he's had to use in the past.
By Rafael Vela
Former Cowboys running back Duane Thomas tells a story about an enlightening rookie-season chalk talk with Tom Landry. The coach was explaining a goal-line run to his offense. Thomas noticed that Landry accounted for every defender except one linebacker. Thomas raised his hand and asked what to do with him?
"That's an excellent question, Duane," Landry answered. "You run over him."
Once the snickers died down, Landry explained that the defender would be running laterally, and would have a poor angle and leverage to make a tackle. Physics was on the big-back Thomas' side. When the play was run in a game, Thomas was amazed to find that it worked just as Landry had drawn it up. The rookie lowered his shoulder and plowed in for a score.
Flash to Saturday night. Dallas' offense is in goal-line, 2nd down, and five yards from the end zone. This situation has been a headache for play-caller Jason Garrett the last few years. Dallas has had an awful time lining up and running bread-and-butter plays for six points. He's often had to put Tony Romo in the shotgun and throw as a result. Dallas has scored just 29% of its touchdowns on rushing plays in the four years Garrett has called the plays. Marion, Felix and Tashard scored just eight rushing TDs between them last year.
Garrett played to tendency, throwing on first down and failing with a bootleg pass. In past situations, 2nd-and-goal from the five would mean another pass.
This time, Garrett went to his 22 set and ran slant left, a weak-side run to the left edge.
Simple zone blocking to the left side, with Doug Free handling RE Jared Allen, the fullback Jason Pociask lining up the crashing linebacker and Martellus Bennett taking the safety on the edge. As the play progresses, you can see the fullback seal his man inside, while Bennett keeps his feet moving, driving the safety back into the end zone:
A situation now arises, similar to the one Tom Landry drew up for Duane Thomas in 1970. Felix Jones has a Vikings linebacker and safety pursuing him, but Felix has momentum and an outside angle. He doesn't so much run over the pursuers as run through their arm tackles:
Jones drove forward and lunged across for the score. Somewhere, Duane Thomas and his old coach smiled. You imagine Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston did too.
This type of success has been fairly common during the three pre-season games. It's a big reason why the Cowboys have been willing to go deep, personnel wise and cut three starters from last year's line. Those guys couldn't do this. Think the San Diego goal-line fiasco in '09. The two 4th down failures against Washington one week later. The goal-line disappointments against Jacksonville last year.
Every good Cowboys team, be it of the Landry, or the Johnson vintage, has been able to power in for goal-line scores. This type of red-zone production has been lacking since the Chan Gailey days. It appears to be creeping back. Success on these basic runs will make Jason Garrett look like more of a play-calling genius than the truly complex passes he's had to use in the past.
