Cowboys: Just How Good Is OC Scott Linehan?

By Christian Blood | Sep 25, 2015

The Dallas Cowboys are in year two of the Scott Linehan-era at offensive coordinator and they’re now about to find out exactly what they have.

Last year was a piece of cake for then-first year offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Any concerns that the former Detroit Lions OC might be too pass-heavy in his approach in his title of ‘passing game coordinator’ were quickly washed away with the emergence of former Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray.

All Linehan did as an assistant charged with elevating the Dallas passing attack was help set a new franchise record for yards on the ground in a single season by Murray. The former Oklahoma star tailback exploded for 1,845 yards on a staggering 392 carries.

By comparison, NFL all-time leading rusher Emmitt Smith never carried the ball more than 377 times and topped out at 1,773 yards the same season in 1995.

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Ah, how things change in just a year.

Obviously Murray is long gone, a running back who’s much richer than he was in Dallas – but also a guy with just 11 yards rushing on 22 carries after two games this season – that’s an average carry of 0.5 yards.

Not only is Murray gone, but the Cowboys roster has become a list of casualties where starting offensive players are concerned.

Out for Sunday’s Week 3 contest against the Atlanta Falcons are quarterback Tony Romo, wide receiver Dez Bryant and very likely tight end Jason Witten.

I thought that I had gotten cute in my coining of the term ‘Step Triplets,’ at least until I saw that David Moore of the Dallas Morning News had some better options when describing the combination of quarterback Brandon Weeden, running back Joseph Randle and wide receiver Terrance Williams.

Those three players, along with possibly tight end Gavin Escobar or James Hanna, are the primary skill position players that are supposed to help keep the Cowboys undefeated in 2015.

You know that age-old question, ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg?’

I ask myself this question: Which came first, the great offensive coordinator or the talent that he ended up coaching.

There’s really no way to answer this, but we do know that the overall skill set of Linehan is about to be discovered.

Based on what we saw last season, I’d be hesitant to be against Linehan.

Following years of watching head coach and former offensive coordinator Jason Garrett try to make a living by throwing the ball 40-plus times per game week in and week out, Linehan is a very different cat with the headset on. His years of experience in coaching also blow Garrett away completely.

Linehan’s experience should enable him to actually gain the advantage over upcoming competition that more than expected to see the usual suspects who won’t be taking part.

In other words, if the Cowboys personnel that will be featured doesn’t exactly know what they’ll do, how in the world will the Falcons, or the New Orleans Saints the week after, or anybody else until some trends begin to emerge.

Linehan will tailor game plans to Weeden’s strength and knowledge, a strategy that’s both necessary and advantageous. Obviously the passing game is where things will have to be as carefully crafted as possible. It’ll have to be successful as well, which falls primarily on the Dallas offensive line, a unit that hasn’t been as good as advertised this season.

What Linehan can’t afford is another backup quarterback performance that resembles the likes of Brad Johnson in 2008 or Babe Laufenberg in 1990. The simple fact that Weeden has the arm that he does gives the Cowboys a clear advantage over typical backups that just don’t possess the physical qualities of the starter on most teams.

No, teams won’t simply hand over the running game to the Cowboys. This fact, even with a player of Weeden’s caliber in place, means opportunity in the passing game. The simpler the game plans, the better the odds that Weeden might actually – hold your breath – flourish in his temporary role of starting quarterback for America’s Team.

The future is a big unknown for a Dallas team that has Super Bowl aspirations this season, appropriate or not.

One thing is for sure, however.

Cowboys Nation is about to learn exactly how good, or great, Linehan is.

First year offensive coordinator Norv Turner was able to help guide backup quarterback Steve Beuerlein in a successful run in 1991 while filling in for injured start Troy Aikman. Turner spent many years as an NFL head coach thereafter.

If Linehan can do something similar with Weeden, he might actually see the head coaching ranks again himself.

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