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Garrett, Cowboys must regain offensive identity in 2016
2:02 PM ET
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- Since Jason Garrett arrived in 2007, the Dallas Cowboys have run the ball more than 43 percent once. The passing game has always been the epicenter of their offense -- until last season. The Cowboys went 12-4 in 2014 with a running game that pounded opponents and took pressure off quarterback Tony Romo.
The Cowboys need to find that identity again.
In 2014, the Cowboys ran the ball 50.1 percent of the time, which helped Romo throw for nearly 3,000 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The running game set up every aspect of the Cowboys' offense in 2014 and helped their defense by keeping it off the field.
Without similar offensive balance in 2015, the Cowboys struggled. They had no identity. They didn't run it well enough to dominate games, and their passing attack produced 15 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions.
The Cowboys ran the ball 42.1 percent of the time this season, throwing it 57.9 percent. Even when the Cowboys did run the ball, they didn’t control games with their run game. Darren McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards, fourth in the NFL, but the Cowboys couldn’t turn that production into points. They couldn’t convert on third-and-short and they kicked too many field goals instead of scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
Think about it, the Cowboys threw the ball a lot more with Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore at quarterback this season than they did with Romo last season.
"We didn’t do a good enough job obviously," Garrett said of maintaining the Cowboys' offensive balance. "You have to handle the adversities of the season. Coaches have to handle it, players have to handle it and we have to do a better job.
"Things happened to our team this year, and we didn’t respond the right way to have the success we wanted to have. Period."
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Not certain Garrett knows what the eff the identity is.
If what we saw in the first few games with Romo healthy was an indicator, we were not going with the 2014 formula.
2:02 PM ET
Jean-Jacques Taylor
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- Since Jason Garrett arrived in 2007, the Dallas Cowboys have run the ball more than 43 percent once. The passing game has always been the epicenter of their offense -- until last season. The Cowboys went 12-4 in 2014 with a running game that pounded opponents and took pressure off quarterback Tony Romo.
The Cowboys need to find that identity again.
In 2014, the Cowboys ran the ball 50.1 percent of the time, which helped Romo throw for nearly 3,000 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The running game set up every aspect of the Cowboys' offense in 2014 and helped their defense by keeping it off the field.
Without similar offensive balance in 2015, the Cowboys struggled. They had no identity. They didn't run it well enough to dominate games, and their passing attack produced 15 touchdown passes and 22 interceptions.
The Cowboys ran the ball 42.1 percent of the time this season, throwing it 57.9 percent. Even when the Cowboys did run the ball, they didn’t control games with their run game. Darren McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards, fourth in the NFL, but the Cowboys couldn’t turn that production into points. They couldn’t convert on third-and-short and they kicked too many field goals instead of scoring touchdowns in the red zone.
Think about it, the Cowboys threw the ball a lot more with Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore at quarterback this season than they did with Romo last season.
"We didn’t do a good enough job obviously," Garrett said of maintaining the Cowboys' offensive balance. "You have to handle the adversities of the season. Coaches have to handle it, players have to handle it and we have to do a better job.
"Things happened to our team this year, and we didn’t respond the right way to have the success we wanted to have. Period."
--------------
Not certain Garrett knows what the eff the identity is.
If what we saw in the first few games with Romo healthy was an indicator, we were not going with the 2014 formula.
