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Stephen Jones: Drafting Zack Martin improves running game, an off-season focus for Dallas Cowboys
By Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com
1:22 pm on May 9, 2014 | Permalink
A large photo of Miles Austin diving for a touchdown used to hang near one of the entrances to the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room at Valley Ranch. With Austin no longer on the roster, the picture has been replaced with one of Tony Romo handing the ball off to DeMarco Murray.
Is it a symbol of what’s to come this season?
By passing on Johnny Manziel and taking the safe pick in Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, it shows how committed the franchise is to protecting Tony Romo.
But it also indicates that the running game could take on a larger role in the offense.
While discussing the potential of having Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin together for the next 10 years, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones addressed the running game Friday on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM].
“The other thing these guys do, which I think can only help us and certainly is going to be a focus of ours here in the off-season, as well as the season, is it’s obviously going to help our running game,” Jones said. “We were starting to kind of find it there at the second half of last year, and I think we can build on that and obviously have a neat deal in terms of taking pressure off of Tony if we can really establish a sound running game.”
To be clear, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys are targeting a running back in this weekend’s draft.
“We’re pretty pleased with what we have at the running back situation,” Jones said. “We’ve got a great back, we think, in DeMarco Murray. We obviously drafted Joseph Randle last year and think a lot of him. We think Lance Dunbar really gives us that change of pace back that brings a lot to the table in terms of his explosiveness.
“We think we’re pretty set there at the running back spot.”
The Cowboys ran the ball 21 times per game last season. Atlanta was the NFL’s only team to manage fewer rushing attempts. Under Scott Linehan’s guidance, the Detroit Lions ran the ball 27.8 times per game last season, 24.4 times in 2012 and 22.2 times in 2011. Not overwhelmingly more than the Cowboys, but Detroit also had a young quarterback in 26-year-old Matthew Stafford.
The Cowboys, well, they have a 34-year-old who’s coming off another back surgery. Effectively running the football could be the recipe for keeping Romo on the field for 16 games.
Heck, it might also lead to a better defense.
“We are going to have a better offensive line, a better offense and we will probably play better defense the better we play on the offensive line,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday night. “We will be able to run the football better and control the game a little more.”
By Jon Machota
jmachota@dallasnews.com
1:22 pm on May 9, 2014 | Permalink
A large photo of Miles Austin diving for a touchdown used to hang near one of the entrances to the Dallas Cowboys’ locker room at Valley Ranch. With Austin no longer on the roster, the picture has been replaced with one of Tony Romo handing the ball off to DeMarco Murray.
Is it a symbol of what’s to come this season?
By passing on Johnny Manziel and taking the safe pick in Notre Dame offensive lineman Zack Martin, it shows how committed the franchise is to protecting Tony Romo.
But it also indicates that the running game could take on a larger role in the offense.
While discussing the potential of having Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Martin together for the next 10 years, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones addressed the running game Friday on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM].
“The other thing these guys do, which I think can only help us and certainly is going to be a focus of ours here in the off-season, as well as the season, is it’s obviously going to help our running game,” Jones said. “We were starting to kind of find it there at the second half of last year, and I think we can build on that and obviously have a neat deal in terms of taking pressure off of Tony if we can really establish a sound running game.”
To be clear, that doesn’t mean the Cowboys are targeting a running back in this weekend’s draft.
“We’re pretty pleased with what we have at the running back situation,” Jones said. “We’ve got a great back, we think, in DeMarco Murray. We obviously drafted Joseph Randle last year and think a lot of him. We think Lance Dunbar really gives us that change of pace back that brings a lot to the table in terms of his explosiveness.
“We think we’re pretty set there at the running back spot.”
The Cowboys ran the ball 21 times per game last season. Atlanta was the NFL’s only team to manage fewer rushing attempts. Under Scott Linehan’s guidance, the Detroit Lions ran the ball 27.8 times per game last season, 24.4 times in 2012 and 22.2 times in 2011. Not overwhelmingly more than the Cowboys, but Detroit also had a young quarterback in 26-year-old Matthew Stafford.
The Cowboys, well, they have a 34-year-old who’s coming off another back surgery. Effectively running the football could be the recipe for keeping Romo on the field for 16 games.
Heck, it might also lead to a better defense.
“We are going to have a better offensive line, a better offense and we will probably play better defense the better we play on the offensive line,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday night. “We will be able to run the football better and control the game a little more.”
