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Cowboys' identity in 2016 must center around passing game
1:11 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- So what is the Dallas Cowboys' identity offensively?
The other day Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote the Cowboys have to get back to the formula that worked so well in 2014 when they ran it 50.1 percent of the time and took pressure off Tony Romo. In 2015, the Cowboys ran it 42.1 percent of the time and that was with Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore starting 12 games.
Jacques and I will just have to agree to disagree on this subject.
The offense didn't suffer in 2015 because the Cowboys did not run it enough. They lost because the passing game was stale.
A healthy Tony Romo and an expanded passing game would be the shots in the arm the Cowboys' offense needs. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Darren McFadden ran for 1,089 yards, with all but 129 of those coming in the final 11 games. The Cowboys finished the year with 1,890 rushing yards, which was ninth best in the league. The quicker everybody realizes the 2,354 yards the Cowboys ran for in 2014 was an anomaly, the better.
What has to change in 2016 for the Cowboys to regain a top offensive form is the passing game. A healthy Tony Romo helps. A healthy Dez Bryant helps. A more expansive passing attack will help.
The Cowboys could run the ball fine in 2015. They couldn't score any points. They went four games without an offensive touchdown. They went four more games with just one offensive touchdown.
What made the Cowboys so good in 2014 wasn't just DeMarco Murray's 1,845 yards on the ground. It was Romo making the crucial plays at the critical moments on third down and the red zone. Over and over, Romo delivered at the key moments and he had his best season with 34 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while leading the NFL in completion percentage.
The New England Patriots' running backs carried the ball seven times in last week's divisional round win against the Kansas City Chiefs. As a team they ran 14 times for 38 yards.
The Patriots were simply not going to be bullheaded in their approach and try to run the ball against the Chiefs' stout front. So they spread them out and Tom Brady dissected them. In all likelihood the Cowboys would have attempted to "do what we do best" and tried to ram the running game down Kansas City's throat.
Maybe it would have worked to a degree but it would have kept possessions at a minimum, execution at a premium and points low.
The notion that a running game leads to championships is an old one.
Teams need to run the ball well situationally. They need to be good on third and short. They need to be good in the tight red zone. They need to be good in four-minute offense.
But it's the passing game that matters most. That's why New England has been successful. The Carolina Panthers went 15-1 because Cam Newton had his best passing season. The Arizona Cardinals are a pass-first team as well.
The Cowboys have to find a way to get chunk plays again. In 2014 the Cowboys had 53 pass plays of 20 or more yards. They had just 40 in 2015 and eight came in the final game with Moore slinging it around.
The Cowboys have a great offensive line and they showed they can run the ball well enough with a good running back.
The Cowboys' identity in 2016 has to be about getting the passing game going again.
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Um, yeah.
Let's go back to the 8-8 formula and away from the 12-4.
Seems legit.
And if Archer thinks for a damn second the Panthers are a "passing team", he's an effing idiot.
1:11 PM ET
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- So what is the Dallas Cowboys' identity offensively?
The other day Jean-Jacques Taylor wrote the Cowboys have to get back to the formula that worked so well in 2014 when they ran it 50.1 percent of the time and took pressure off Tony Romo. In 2015, the Cowboys ran it 42.1 percent of the time and that was with Brandon Weeden, Matt Cassel and Kellen Moore starting 12 games.
Jacques and I will just have to agree to disagree on this subject.
The offense didn't suffer in 2015 because the Cowboys did not run it enough. They lost because the passing game was stale.
A healthy Tony Romo and an expanded passing game would be the shots in the arm the Cowboys' offense needs. Joe Robbins/Getty Images
Darren McFadden ran for 1,089 yards, with all but 129 of those coming in the final 11 games. The Cowboys finished the year with 1,890 rushing yards, which was ninth best in the league. The quicker everybody realizes the 2,354 yards the Cowboys ran for in 2014 was an anomaly, the better.
What has to change in 2016 for the Cowboys to regain a top offensive form is the passing game. A healthy Tony Romo helps. A healthy Dez Bryant helps. A more expansive passing attack will help.
The Cowboys could run the ball fine in 2015. They couldn't score any points. They went four games without an offensive touchdown. They went four more games with just one offensive touchdown.
What made the Cowboys so good in 2014 wasn't just DeMarco Murray's 1,845 yards on the ground. It was Romo making the crucial plays at the critical moments on third down and the red zone. Over and over, Romo delivered at the key moments and he had his best season with 34 touchdown passes and nine interceptions while leading the NFL in completion percentage.
The New England Patriots' running backs carried the ball seven times in last week's divisional round win against the Kansas City Chiefs. As a team they ran 14 times for 38 yards.
The Patriots were simply not going to be bullheaded in their approach and try to run the ball against the Chiefs' stout front. So they spread them out and Tom Brady dissected them. In all likelihood the Cowboys would have attempted to "do what we do best" and tried to ram the running game down Kansas City's throat.
Maybe it would have worked to a degree but it would have kept possessions at a minimum, execution at a premium and points low.
The notion that a running game leads to championships is an old one.
Teams need to run the ball well situationally. They need to be good on third and short. They need to be good in the tight red zone. They need to be good in four-minute offense.
But it's the passing game that matters most. That's why New England has been successful. The Carolina Panthers went 15-1 because Cam Newton had his best passing season. The Arizona Cardinals are a pass-first team as well.
The Cowboys have to find a way to get chunk plays again. In 2014 the Cowboys had 53 pass plays of 20 or more yards. They had just 40 in 2015 and eight came in the final game with Moore slinging it around.
The Cowboys have a great offensive line and they showed they can run the ball well enough with a good running back.
The Cowboys' identity in 2016 has to be about getting the passing game going again.
--------------
Um, yeah.
Let's go back to the 8-8 formula and away from the 12-4.
Seems legit.
And if Archer thinks for a damn second the Panthers are a "passing team", he's an effing idiot.