Watkins: Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in a good groove

[Cotton]

Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in a good groove

August, 10, 2013

By Calvin Watkins | ESPNDallas.com


OAKLAND -- It's early, very early, but the Cowboys were pleased with how quarterback Tony Romo and wide receiver Dez Bryant connected in the 19-17 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Like in training camp practices, Romo and Bryant were on the same page and this was more evident in the first-team offenses second possession.

Romo pumped faked a defender in the air, and Bryant adjusted his route and ran a slant turning it into a 26-yard reception. Romo later found Bryant for a 15-yard pass down the middle of the field.

"That was real good by Tony," Bryant said. "The guy was off and he gave him a little pump and I just slipped in the hole and he just delivered (it) right there. That was just great instincts by him and I never make that play without him having those great instincts."

Bryant finished with three catches for 55 yards. He took advantage of a couple of things on Friday night.

The Raiders played some tight man coverage, something Bryant sees on a daily basis in Cowboys' practices. Bryant also loves to play physical because he uses his upper body to push defenders away.

"Dez did great," said Romo after completing six of eight passes for 88 yards. "Dez has had a great camp all the way around. I don’t want to get away from here without talking about the offensive line. There were a couple of times I had all day and we had a sack an incompletion on those two plays, so that’s going to help us a lot if we’re able to do that. That’s different. I know what it’s like to play behind that, and having that ability like they did tonight would be a huge bonus for us."

________________________

What Dez says here is proof as to how far he has come. I believe I am falling in love.

 

[Genghis Khan]

Funny thing is that what Bryant said is exactly what Garrett told them to say in his pre-camp speech.

 

[boozeman]

Funny thing is that what Bryant said is exactly what Garrett told them to say in his pre-camp speech.

Sarcasm? Otherwise I don't follow.

I didn't listen to that entire half hour speech.

 

[boozeman]

Irvin thinks they are getting in synch and developing chemistry...claims that slant play with the pump might have been an INT if they were still stuck on coach's X's and O's. Seems like he was suggesting that they are just playing ball together.

 

[Cotton]

Irvin thinks they are getting in synch and developing chemistry...claims that slant play with the pump might have been an INT if they were still stuck on coach's X's and O's. Seems like he was suggesting that they are just playing ball together.

I agree with him. That was a pick 6 waiting to happen.

 

[boozeman]

 

[Genghis Khan]

Sarcasm? Otherwise I don't follow.

I didn't listen to that entire half hour speech.

No, seriously. Garrett said something to the effect of, if you have a great game and the media asks you about it, praise your teammates.

Seems like that's exactly what Dez was doing here.

 

[Cotton]

No, seriously. Garrett said something to the effect of, if you have a great game and the media asks you about it, praise your teammates.

Seems like that's exactly what Dez was doing here.

The point was, it's not something you would have seen come out of his mouth a year ago. Coaching up or not.

 

[jester]

Yea I like that Dez is playing his part and doing it well. lf he has taken cue from Garrett regarding the art of the interview, then kudos even more.

As for the play. Damn. Total jaw dropping Romo to stand there and in the face of a unblocked DE waiting and creating a secondary window.

Definitely not how you drew it up cause it looks as if it was supposed to be a run to the right, as Smith pulls to the right. But what ever "it" is between these two is the x-factor that has the ingredients of something very special like, way > T.O. Romo.

 

[boozeman]

So...what we have learned is that Dez has mastered the art of the interview? Hell, Jordan and Irvin already did that.

 

[skidadl]

That was an interesting take. So I guess that Dez is still dumb? Dang, i was finally thinking highly of him.

 

[boozeman]

That was an interesting take. So I guess that Dez is still dumb? Dang, i was finally thinking highly of him.

What's funny is Irvin went there saying you NEVER cut behind the DB on a slant and then started on about how they were getting chemistry.

Here you have the ultimate schlub in Holley saying the same.

 

[boozeman]

Breaking Down the ‘Boys: This simple Dez Bryant catch should have Cowboys fans really, really excited

By Jonathan Bales
jonathan@thedctimes.com
8:04 am on August 10, 2013 | Permalink



Jonathan Bales is a special contributor to SportsDayDFW.com. He’s the founder of The DC Times and writes for DallasCowboys.com and the New York Times. He’s also the author of Fantasy Football for Smart People. He can be reached at jonathan@thedctimes.com.
You can follow him @BalesFootball.


Dez Bryant looked like his normal dominant self in his limited work against the Oakland Raiders, taking three catches for 55 yards, but one play stood out from the rest. It was just a quick and innocent pass from Tony Romo that should have Cowboys fans so excited. Here’s why.
On a first-and-10 at their own 47-yard line, the Cowboys lined up in “Tight End Trips Right” with Bryant isolated on the left side of the formation. Dallas lined up in “Tight End Trips” on 59 plays in 2012—right around four per game—passing the ball on only 17 of those snaps. It’s the one spread formation from which they really like to run the ball, as they planned to do on this play.

The Raiders were in an unusual alignment because cornerback Mike Jenkins (top) was lined up 10 yards off of Miles Austin and actually sunk back farther before the snap, yet cornerback Tracy Porter was less than five yards off of Bryant. The reason was that Porter was supposed to blitz on the play.As you can see below, Porter started to blitz as Romo took the snap. With Bryant slanting in, Romo pumped but pulled back when he saw Porter. The cornerback actually stopped rushing when he recognized that Romo was throwing the ball to Bryant.
​

The play might have looked like a busted slant, but it was actually a run. You can see Jason Witten stayed in-line to block and the other receivers both jogged out leisurely to block the defenders lined up over them. DeMarco Murray hesitated behind the line-of-scrimmage, indicating that this was a designed draw.

When Romo decided to forgo the handoff and throw to Bryant, he was executing what is known as a “sight adjustment.” On many running plays, quarterbacks have the freedom to pull up and immediately hit a receiver—typically on a slant or quick screen—if they see something that suggests a pass will be successful.

It’s pretty standard, but something about this play really stands out: Romo didn’t decide to throw the football until after the snap. Typically, the quarterback makes that determination before the snap. But even with the odd coverage, I don’t think there’s any way that Romo could have anticipated Porter blitzing. The cornerback did nothing to show it; you can see him lined up well off of the ball in a traditional position just before the snap in the first image.

That means that not only was this a designed run, but Romo even took the snap thinking he would hand off the ball to Murray. Since a draw play was called, Romo has the time to hesitate and look at Bryant before (usually) giving the ball to Murray. Romo saw Porter blitzing, however, meaning the sight adjustment came post-snap.When Porter stopped rushing, Romo pumped and hit a streaking Bryant who had snuck behind Porter on what looked like a traditional “sluggo” route—a slant-and-go—but it was really a blown sight adjustment.
​

So why is this “blown” play so awesome? Three reasons. First, it shows the Cowboys have options built into plays post-snap. We all know about their “Kill” audible system through which Romo can change plays at the line, but that doesn’t help the team if the defense does something unexpected after the snap. I feel confident in saying that last year, this play would have resulted in a handoff to Murray. In 2013, the additional post-snap options allowed for a big completion to Bryant. That’s a major shift in the offense.

The second reason this play is a great sign is that it shows a next-level sort of chemistry between Romo and Bryant. When Porter stopped blitzing because he saw the sight adjustment, Bryant really should have continued to fight through the defender on his slant. If Romo had thrown the ball right away, it would have been six points the other way. It’s a huge positive that both Romo and Bryant recognized what was happening and adjusted on the fly.

Third, if you want the Cowboys to improve their rushing efficiency, which we all do, what better way than to have post-snap options built into plays? Dallas can’t run read-option in the same way as a team like the Redskins, but this is really a “pro style” form of read-option. If Romo can read defenses after the snap to inform his decision on whether he should pull up to pass or hand off the ball, it will end up aiding both passing and rushing efficiency in a big way.

Either way, this simple play should have you really excited to watch the Cowboys’ offense in 2013.​

 

[ravidubey]

It looked to me like Porter was rushing in for run support and vacated his normal zone. He also could have been jumping a slant or faking blitz, but he really took his eyes off Dez so that doesn't appear to be the case. Dez was going to run a slant, but no slant cuts sharply enough to cross where Porter moved to making that route impossible to run as designed. So Romo pumped instead and Dez adjusted his route into the gap Porter vacated.

This is just years of experience playing football. I wouldn't credit play design at all, just a QB and WR recognizing an opportunity.

 

[boozeman]

I do have to admit that people are dissecting this play waaaay too much...mainly because it plays into the Bryant maturation thing and that he and Romo are going to have a big year.

 

[skidadl]

It was a dumb move by Bryant where Romo saved his arse. You seriously can't cut behind a defender on a slant. Ever.

 

[ravidubey]

It was a dumb move by Bryant where Romo saved his arse. You seriously can't cut behind a defender on a slant. Ever.

You shouldn't cut behind a defender on a slant, but I think in this case Porter got in the way and too close to the line for Bryant to cut across him. If you see where Porter was, I think Bryant's original pattern (if it was a slant) would have been impossible to run. In that case the play has to go somewhere and I think Romo and Bryant were on the same page as to where. I highly doubt Garrett's play design accounted for it like the homer article suggests.

Porter also moved so early Romo had time to see him and bail on the pass, so it would have definitely been Romo's fault had he thrown it there.

 

[skidadl]

Hey, if they saw it and read each others eyes and made the adjustment then I'm all for it. The thing is, if you start freelancing too much you will eventually get in trouble on that play.

 

[Jiggyfly]

It was a dumb move by Bryant where Romo saved his arse. You seriously can't cut behind a defender on a slant. Ever.

It was designed running play that Romo and Dez decided to freelance with Porter was doing a run blitz and stopped once he saw Romo passing.

So no Romo did not save his ass to get in front Porter he would have had to run a 1 yard slant route.

 

[Cotton]

It was designed running play that Romo and Dez decided to freelance with Porter was doing a run blitz and stopped once he saw Romo passing.

So no Romo did not save his ass to get in front Porter he would have had to run a 1 yard slant route.

Bryant adjusted and moved over into the hole. It was a good play all the way around.