'Several' Cowboys players reportedly say their play-calling is too predictable

Dec 28


A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in football. Armed with arguably the NFL's best offensive line, sensational rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott at quarterback and running back, and weapons all over the perimeter.

This season has gone quite a bit differently. Despite returning largely the same personnel, then saw Ezekiel Elliott get suspended for six games), the Cowboys have fallen off. Prescott has undeniably regressed. Dez Bryant is having his worst season in years. Cole Beasley has basically disappeared from the offense. Dallas seems to have no element of explosion to its offense and has also struggled to put together sustained drives at times.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports reports the culprit, according to multiple players, is not the injuries, the backward step the offensive line has taken, or the lack of chemistry between Prescott and Bryant. It's predictable play-calling.


That stance aligns with exactly what Bryant said earlier this week. "That's something you got to discuss with them coaches, not Dak or me," Bryant said of the team's relative lack of offensive production, per ESPN.com. "You got to discuss that with them." Dez also told ESPN that he plans to sit down with Garrett, Linehan, and Jerry Jones this offseason to discuss his concerns about the team's scheme.

'Several' Cowboys players reportedly say their play-calling is too predictable

Dec 28


A year ago, the Dallas Cowboys had one of the best offenses in football. Armed with arguably the NFL's best offensive line, sensational rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott at quarterback and running back, and weapons all over the perimeter.

This season has gone quite a bit differently. Despite returning largely the same personnel, then saw Ezekiel Elliott get suspended for six games), the Cowboys have fallen off. Prescott has undeniably regressed. Dez Bryant is having his worst season in years. Cole Beasley has basically disappeared from the offense. Dallas seems to have no element of explosion to its offense and has also struggled to put together sustained drives at times.

Jared Dubin of CBS Sports reports the culprit, according to multiple players, is not the injuries, the backward step the offensive line has taken, or the lack of chemistry between Prescott and Bryant. It's predictable play-calling.


That stance aligns with exactly what Bryant said earlier this week. "That's something you got to discuss with them coaches, not Dak or me," Bryant said of the team's relative lack of offensive production, per ESPN.com. "You got to discuss that with them." Dez also told ESPN that he plans to sit down with Garrett, Linehan, and Jerry Jones this offseason to discuss his concerns about the team's scheme.


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Nonsense. The players just aren't executing.

How we doin guys?

The schemes and play-calling are definitely predictable. Even the fans at home can decipher what the Cowboys are going to do and which routes the players are going to run when they line up.

However, that still doesn't absolve the players of blame for their lack of execution.

Not catching passes that hit you in the hands and facemask is not a play-calling problem.

Over-throwing wide open receivers and not reading the entire field are not a play-calling a problems.

I hope Linehan and Garrett are shown the door but it shouldn't stop there. But my guess is that's exactly what will happen. Jerry will acquiesce to his players bitches and moans (as usual) but won't address other components of the problem.

Oh.

Wow.

1bigfan13 said:

However, that still doesn't absolve the players for the lack of execution.

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Thanks, Jason.

In all seriousness though, the big issue is the ability of the scheme to lower the degree of difficulty.

We have too many passing routes that are long to develop and require too much precision to get done right.

It is a rare thing where we actually scheme a player wide open.

These were the exact same things being said about Jason Garrett offense at the end of 2008 when we were struggling to score and move the ball consistently.

And this was at a time when we had an in-his-prime Tony Romo and an in-his-prime Jason Witten, an in-his-prime Marion Barber, a very effective Terrell Owens and one of the best offensive lines in football.

I'll say it again.... What is the one constant?

Texas Ace said:

These were the exact same things being said about Jason Garrett offense at the end of 2008 when we were struggling to score and move the ball consistently.

And this was at a time when we had an in-his-prime Tony Romo and an in-his-prime Jason Witten, an in-his-prime Marion Barber, a very effective Terrell Owens and one of the best offensive lines in football.

I'll say it again.... What is the one constant?

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Shit. Ray Lewis and the Ravens D was laughing at us after they closed down Texas Stadium when Wade Phillips was the head coach and Red Pube was the OC.

boozeman said:

Shit. Ray Lewis and the Ravens D was laughing at us after they closed down Texas Stadium when Wade Phillips was the head coach and Red Pube was the OC.

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And that's the exact game I was thinking about.

And that is why it's hard to truly judge Linehan. I'm not saying the guy is some sort of offensive guru who's being handcuffed by Garrett, but it is fair to wonder what the Cowboys could do on offense if he are allowed to run his own system from top to bottom.

Because he is still pretty much being asked to call plays and work within the system that was already in place, we don't really know the guy is really good or really bad.

It is so clear that a lot of the very same concepts we were running 7 and 8 years ago are still in place today. The same things we were complaining about then are the same things we are complaining about now.

Whether it's the philosophy behind this system or even the tendencies and things like that, there is so much in common with what we are doing right now to what we were doing in 2008, 2011, 2013, etc., that common sense suggests that we are still running the same offense at its core.

You think anybody in the front office has noticed the coincidences?

My guess is that they haven't but even if they did, acknowledging that would mean that you're acknowledging Jason Garrett's shortcomings as a coach and then that opens up a whole new can of worms that they don't want to open.

Texas Ace said:

These were the exact same things being said about Jason Garrett offense at the end of 2008 when we were struggling to score and move the ball consistently.

And this was at a time when we had an in-his-prime Tony Romo and an in-his-prime Jason Witten, an in-his-prime Marion Barber, a very effective Terrell Owens and one of the best offensive lines in football.

I'll say it again.... What is the one constant?

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Exactly.

Texas Ace said:

I'll say it again.... What is the one constant?

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Agree 100%.

Obviously Jason Witten is to blame.

Texas Ace said:

And that is why it's hard to truly judge Linehan. I'm not saying the guy is some sort of offensive guru who's being handcuffed by Garrett, but it is fair to wonder what the Cowboys could do on offense if he are allowed to run his own system from top to bottom.

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Linehan is getting judged, but his core system and Garrett's are pretty similar. I don't think he is being "handcuffed", there is just too much that gels with Garrett's viewpoint. Just as Jerry lords over Jason's authority, Garrett does it to Linehan. He has to flex his head coach muscles somewhere because he sure as shit doesn't do it on defense.

At the end of the day, Linehan is probably a decent enough OC. Not great, not lousy. Good enough though. Put Garrett's special brand of arrogance over it, bad things.

midswat said:

Agree 100%.

Obviously Jason Witten is to blame.

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I know you are joking, but Witten being around and gosh darn respected and all is holding back progress.

boozeman said:

I know you are joking, but Witten being around and gosh darn respected and all is holding back progress.

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We had this discussion a couple of days back. He's definitely taking up too many snaps and being paid too much for his production.

The team needs fresh legs and needs to draft another elite TE talent.

I'd be OK with a legit 1st rounder.

ravidubey said:

We had this discussion a couple of days back. He's definitely taking up too many snaps and being paid too much for his production.

The team needs fresh legs and needs to draft another elite TE talent.

I'd be OK with a legit 1st rounder.

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Yeah I just don't love this TE class. If there was a stud for the first round I'd take one but I don't see one in this draft. Last year was the TE draft.

Cowboysrock55 said:

Yeah I just don't love this TE class. If there was a stud for the first round I'd take one but I don't see one in this draft. Last year was the TE draft.

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Anywhere in the first three rounds is fine with me. As for this draft’s quality, you can’t really tell. The big bowl games, eval period, and combine are left.

Besides, Witten was a gem who fell to round three and blew away everyone in his class. I just hope they don’t reach, that’s all.

Well, no shit it's predictable. If a schmuck like me that never played the game or coached can sit and predict the next play call before they even line up for the snap, that's laughable. I can only imagine how easy it is for pro players and coaches with access to film, formation images, all of that stuff.

What? You don't like the second down and 5 empty set?

That thar is coachin!

Cowboysrock55 said:

Yeah I just don't love this TE class. If there was a stud for the first round I'd take one but I don't see one in this draft. Last year was the TE draft.

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Dallas Goedert.

New to the board. Sorry to intrude. If you look back over Linehan's NFL tenure he's never really accomplished much as HC or OC. The same applies to Garrett. Neither of them has had any sustained success any level in the NFL. Garrett and Linehan also share the same lineage when it comes to offensive philosophy.

When Garrett was essentially forced to bring in an OC he opted for one that was a clone, and one who had no chops as a big-time OC. So you have two mediocre coaches who are always on the same page offensively.

When the Seattle game started I said to my wife (who was barely listening) "this is the kind of game Garrett always loses."

Simpleton said:

Dallas Goedert.

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Well he is a former basketball player turned TE so he may be on our radar. It's always hard to judge a guy from South Dakota State but I do like the clips I've seen of him. Very natural hands catching the ball. Runs very well. Looks very natural going up for a jump ball.

I'd take him in the second round. Just not sure he lasts to our pick there being the best TE in this class.