Point/Counterpoint: Eagles or Cowboys run game better?

No stopping Cowboys' run game
Archer By Todd Archer

The Philadelphia Eagles have a fine running game. LeSean McCoy is an elite running back. Darren Sproles can give teams fits, too. The offensive line has been good enough for the Eagles to average 118.7 yards per game on the ground.

But the Eagles running game is no Dallas Cowboys' running game.

The Cowboys have the NFL's second-ranked run game, averaging 150.1 yards on nearly 32 carries per game. DeMarco Murray leads the NFL with 1,354 yards and could push the 2,000-yard mark if he increases his pace a little bit more.

The Cowboys can beat teams with the simple zone play. They can use the power game. The ability to be all things in the running game makes them almost impossible to defend. Even if teams want to load the box, the Cowboys have shown they are able to run the ball anyway.

Things have not been as smooth as they were earlier in the season, but Murray is still averaging 5.1 yards per carry. Teams might be able to slow him for a little bit, but offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Bill Callahan, assistant line coach Frank Pollack and playcaller Scott Linehan have been able to figure out ways to beat defenses during the game.

The in-game adjustments have been crucial to the success, but so, too, has just been the physical dominance of the offensive line. Zack Martin might be the best guard in the NFL this season and he is a rookie. They don't have a weak spot on the line and if you want to consider Doug Free one, then you haven't been paying attention.

McCoy is dangerous for the Eagles. He is even more dangerous with backup quarterback Mark Sanchez playing over the starter, Nick Foles. After leading the NFL in rushing last year, McCoy is averaging just four yards per carry and has scored just three touchdowns. But Sproles is averaging 6.4 yards per carry and has five touchdowns. The Eagles' running game is built more on elusiveness and gashing defenses that get out of their gap responsibilities. It's not so much about power. At least not compared to the Cowboys.

The Cowboys and Eagles are proof you can run the ball well and differently.

It's just that the Cowboys are better at it. The statistics show that as does the eye test.

Eagles' run game can overwhelm
Taylor By Jean-Jacques Taylor

The beauty of Philadelphia coach Chip Kelly's running game is that it challenges the defense horizontally and vertically.

It challenges the defense's stamina with its fast pace. It's capable of overwhelming teams that have a physical advantage.

And it uses so much deception through ball fakes and formations that it forces defensive players to think instead of react, which is the goal of every offense.

Don't be fooled by the stats that have the Eagles ranked 12th in the NFL with 118.7 yards per game and 17th in average per carry at 4.0. And disregard LeSean McCoy's 4.0 average on 217 carries.

The only problem with the Eagles' running game this season has been injuries to their offensive line.

Well, the Eagles' offensive line is as healthy as it has been all season now.

Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are starting at tackle, Jason Kelce is at center and Evan Mathis is at left guard. Only right guard Todd Herremans is missing.

McCoy had 130 yards against Tennessee, and the Eagles are feeling good about their running game.

McCoy is a dazzling runner with a litany of shifty moves, which is only enhanced by this offense that creates huge running lanes for him. That's because the tempo is so fast teams have trouble lining up to stop it because of communication glitches.

Besides, you know fatigue makes cowards of us all. When you have 300-pound defensive linemen and 250-pound linebackers more concerned with catching their breath than maintaining gap integrity, the advantage belongs to the offense.

The scheme is so good that Kelly doesn't need a great runner to have an effective game. Obviously, it works better when someone like McCoy is carrying the ball because he can take a 10-yard run and turn it into a 50-yard touchdown.

But if Kelly had a less effective runner, he'd be happy with the 10-yard gain.

Even against a talented defensive line, Kelly's running game creates options because it can make the defense tentative.

Kelly's scheme creates so many ways to beat opposing defenses that no one will be surprised if half the NFL is running similar schemes five years from now.

After all, this is a copycat league.

All I know is that the Eagles ran the ball much better last season, especially with McCoy. They are getting by with a patchwork line by scheme alone, but I don't see any way you can say they are better or even close to as effective as we are on the ground.

Man, that sounds crazy to say. We are good at running the football.

boozeman said:

Man, that sounds crazy to say. We are good at running the football.

Click to expand...

It does sound crazy to say. I never thought I would ever get to say it again.

Is this a serious question? There's no comparison between the two teams' running games.

We are by far and away better and more effective at running the football.

Texas Ace said:

Is this a serious question? There's no comparison between the two teams' running games.

We are by far and away better and more effective at running the football.

Click to expand...

Sproules scares me.

L.T. Fan said:

Sproules scares me.

Click to expand...

Me too, but the Eagles seem to underutilize him for some reason.

It's been a fairly vocal.criticism in Philly lately.

L.T. Fan said:

Sproules scares me.

Click to expand...

He scares me too, but this isn't a question about the players at the position or the talent - it was simply asking who had the better running game, and there's no question that it's us.

Dallas's run game is not only better, but it also seems more reliable each carry. When I've watched them, the Eagles seem to get 2 yards or 11 yards.

Still, though the Eagles run game is more gimmick-based, it is still very effective. LeSean McCoy is an animal and our defenses uses substitutions more than most.