The importance of Tyler Biadasz for the Dallas Cowboys
Anyone who paid attention to the final Dallas Cowboys game of the regular season saw not only an off day by Dak Prescott (no he doesn’t need to be replaced, get out of here with that), awful playcalling by Kellen Moore, wide receivers unable to separate, and an offensive line that looked more like guys trying to make a roster than already on one.
The one bright spot for the offensive line this season has been the run blocking, but they couldn’t even muster that on Sunday. Yes, they are without multiple starters, but perhaps the biggest loss was Tyler Biadasz.
Now, I get people are going to say Terence Steele, but hear me out here. There is more to the job of center than snapping the ball and then blocking. The center might be second to left tackle in importance, and might even be the most important on the entire line. Yes, Biadasz has some issues in pass blocking, but that’s not what this is all about, no, it is about his other job.
The Dallas Cowboys perhaps missed Tyler Biadasz most of all linemen due to his responsibilities in adjusting blocking for the entire line.
If you are not super-knowledgeable about football, you might notice when the quarterback lines up under center, or even in shotgun, he and the center will start pointing at players. This is looking for the middle of the defense, or mike linebacker, to see how the defense is lined up.
From here the center and quarterback start adjusting the line and the rest of the offense to what the defense is showing. This small thing is huge in the grand scheme, as a missed assignment or adjustment can destroy a play before it even gets started.
This is where the Dallas Cowboys missed Biadasz. Without him, the adjustments may not be seen the same as his experience in what he sees just wasn’t there. We all ended up seeing the defensive line over and over breaking through to harass Dak and stop the run.
Yes, the players still need to block, but not adjusting could leave guys free or a lineman reaching for a guy while engaged with someone else, or missed assignments as a whole.
From here the play is already behind the eight ball so to speak. The route has to be cut off or shortened. The running back now doesn’t have the hole to hit.
When you are already playing without a lot of pre-snap motion, calling bad route combinations, and having wide receivers not separating, well we saw what happened. The running backs couldn’t find a lane, the wide receivers were not in the right spots, and the throws came out faster than designed. It was an absolute malpractice of the offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.
Luckily, Tyler is expected back for the Dallas Cowboys first playoff game. While they still have to figure out the right tackle spot, having Tyler back should help a ton across the board. Yes, Kellen may have called a vanilla offense, but it was still rough to watch. Biadasz is a huge key to a victory on Monday night, and he couldn’t come back soon enough.