Dallas Cowboys: The Offense Still Needs Work
After the Dallas Cowboys struck early against the Giants, it became obvious the offense and Scott Linehan may need some work.
Watching the first 15-20 plays for the Dallas Cowboys this week was everything fans have wanted to see. There were wrinkles, pick plays, deep shots, misdirection, and aggressiveness. Just when it looked like Scott Linehan had indeed learned from his past mistakes, he fell back into his typical playcalling. The Dallas Cowboys have to figure out which team they are, the aggressive team, or the conservative team.
If there is one thing that has been a storyline with the Dallas Cowboys it is the predictability of the playcalling. It seemed like they were content running into the box and hope they break a big play. In the passing game, I wouldn’t necessarily call it “dink and dunk,” but there was not a lot of aggressive shots downfield. All of this fell onto Scott Linehan and in week one is all came crashing down.
Coming into the 2018 season there were question marks at wide receiver and tight end. So far only Tavon Austin looks to be a deep threat, and that was on one play. The real question wasn’t the speed, as much as it was the height and being a consistent playmaker. So far, it is fairly safe to say the Cowboys see this as an issue too with the story of possibly bringing back Brice Butler. Even Stephen Jones seems to have left a crack in the door for consideration of Dez. We know it is an issue, they know it is an issue, but are they willing to do something is the question.
If Butler comes back, one has to wonder if he was a one hit wonder or if he will find himself again. To be fair as much as he had some good stats here, it is saying something that the Arizona Cardinals, a team hurting for a viable wide receiver, cut him. Butler does provide some size and speed to an offense lacking in both on the outside.
As for tight end, there has not been a solution yet. None of the players on the roster have proven to be a true viable starting tight end. On several occasions last night they were getting blown off the line in blocking. None of the tight ends recorded a single catch last night, and Swaim had the only three in week one among the tight ends. Dak Prescott did miss a wide open Rico Gathers once, and Gathers nearly hauled in what looked like a throw-away pass from Prescott. But, none of them have stood out.
Right now, the most reliable part of the offense is the running game with Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott. While you don’t really want your starting quarterback to take a ton of hits, right now, it is what makes this offense go. It’s a good thing Elliott is as good as he is, and Dak is a threat to pick up yardage as well.
dark. Next. Dallas Cowboys: How Tavon Austin became the missing piece
What it all comes back to however, is Scott Linehan. He did so well for the scripted part of the game. He has to get out of his comfort zone, become more aggressive, and use the strengths of the players he has. Until he does, this offense has work to do.
- Published on 09/18/2018 at 22:01 PM
- Last updated at 09/18/2018 at 14:05 PM