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With Tony Romo sidelined, Cowboys need more from running game
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- A 12-yard scramble by Tony Romo is the Dallas Cowboys' second-longest run this season, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about their running game so far.
The Cowboys have just two runs of 10 yards or more this season. No team has fewer.
Joseph Randle is averaging 3.4 yards on 34 carries and has yet to gain more than 65 yards in a game, while Darren McFadden is averaging 2.9 yards on 16 carries.
“We have to do a better job running the football. We were behind the chains way too much in this ballgame and kind of digging out,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "You have procedure penalties and holding penalties and you see a lot second-and-12, second-and-16 and first-and-20, and those are hard drives to overcome.
"We’re at our best when we’re balanced. We’re at our best when we control the line of scrimmage and run the football because it gives us great looks down the field to throw it and make the big plays down the field that we've made in this offense over a number of years."
The Cowboys will need to get more from their running game over the next 8-10 weeks while Romo recovers from a broken left collarbone.
The best way to make backup quarterback Brandon Weeden comfortable is to create manageable third-down situations for him, and the way to do that is to have success running the ball on first and second down.
The Cowboys are averaging just 3.41 yards per carry on first down, 27th in the league. Last season, the Cowboys were second in the NFL in first-down rushing offense at 5.07 yards per carry.
Some of it has to do with the offensive line, which hasn’t found a rhythm yet with the running game as it adjusts to a pair of new runners.
Some of the blame goes to the runners. There’s a difference between DeMarco Murray's physical, downhill running style and the way Randle and McFadden run.
Randle is more elusive and runs with a herky-jerky style, while McFadden is more of a fast straight-line runner.
“What we’re going to try to do is be a balanced offensive attack, and it starts with being able to run the football even when the numbers aren’t right,” Garrett said. “That’s one of the best things we did last year.
“The numbers weren’t right a lot, but we continued to persist and make that running game go for us.”
Jean-Jacques Taylor, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- A 12-yard scramble by Tony Romo is the Dallas Cowboys' second-longest run this season, which pretty much tells you all you need to know about their running game so far.
The Cowboys have just two runs of 10 yards or more this season. No team has fewer.
Joseph Randle is averaging 3.4 yards on 34 carries and has yet to gain more than 65 yards in a game, while Darren McFadden is averaging 2.9 yards on 16 carries.
“We have to do a better job running the football. We were behind the chains way too much in this ballgame and kind of digging out,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "You have procedure penalties and holding penalties and you see a lot second-and-12, second-and-16 and first-and-20, and those are hard drives to overcome.
"We’re at our best when we’re balanced. We’re at our best when we control the line of scrimmage and run the football because it gives us great looks down the field to throw it and make the big plays down the field that we've made in this offense over a number of years."
The Cowboys will need to get more from their running game over the next 8-10 weeks while Romo recovers from a broken left collarbone.
The best way to make backup quarterback Brandon Weeden comfortable is to create manageable third-down situations for him, and the way to do that is to have success running the ball on first and second down.
The Cowboys are averaging just 3.41 yards per carry on first down, 27th in the league. Last season, the Cowboys were second in the NFL in first-down rushing offense at 5.07 yards per carry.
Some of it has to do with the offensive line, which hasn’t found a rhythm yet with the running game as it adjusts to a pair of new runners.
Some of the blame goes to the runners. There’s a difference between DeMarco Murray's physical, downhill running style and the way Randle and McFadden run.
Randle is more elusive and runs with a herky-jerky style, while McFadden is more of a fast straight-line runner.
“What we’re going to try to do is be a balanced offensive attack, and it starts with being able to run the football even when the numbers aren’t right,” Garrett said. “That’s one of the best things we did last year.
“The numbers weren’t right a lot, but we continued to persist and make that running game go for us.”
