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Cowboys must succeed with a 'dirty' run game
8:19 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- If the Dallas Cowboys are to have a successful running game, they will have to get used to running dirty.
Because of an offensive line that has three Pro Bowlers in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin and because they used the fourth overall pick in the draft on Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will not see the most favorable looks when they run the ball.
The looks will be muddier because they are forced to go with a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott.
The push and pull of offensive success is based on a team making enough plays in the passing game to back defenses off or running the ball effectively enough to force a defense to use an extra defender.
This isn’t anything new. The Cowboys saw a lot of dirty looks in 2014 when DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards. They saw it last year when Darren McFadden finished fourth in the NFL with 1,089 yards.
The Cowboys ran for 101 yards on 30 carries in their 20-19 loss to the New York Giants in the season opener. Elliott had 20 carries for 51 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“I think Zeke did a good job running hard when the runs were dirty to stick it on up in there and get what he could get,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He did have a couple runs that broke outside a little bit that were positive play for us and for him. But the NFL is hard. It’s hard to run the ball in the NFL. I think it was a good experience for him to feel that, to feel the challenge of being a productive runner down in and down out in the National Football League. It was a good experience for our team.”
Because of that offensive line and because of Elliott, the expectation is the Cowboys will be able to run at will on anyone.
As Garrett said, it will not be easy, but it needs to be better.
Against the Giants, Elliott saw an eight-man box seven times and gained 14 yards. He had one carry against a nine-man box for 2 yards. He had eight carries for 26 yards against a seven-man front and 9 yards on four carries against a four-man front.
In nine of his 20 carries he was hit at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield.
“We didn’t create enough movement on a consistent basis at the point of attack, on the back side on some of those carries,” Garrett said.
It is interesting that some have called for more of Alfred Morris since he carried seven times for 35 yards against the Giants. Garrett said Morris had cleaner looks than Elliott, but he also had more use out of the Cowboys’ wide zone scheme than Elliott.
Elliott’s work with the offensive line was limited in camp and the preseason, where he had just seven carries, because of a strained hamstring. The Cowboys also faced an improved defensive front in which the Giants paid to keep Jason Pierre-Paul and added Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison in free agency.
Garrett expects Washington, which was gashed by Pittsburgh Steelers back DeAngelo Williams (143 yards) on Monday, to attempt to copy at least some of what the Giants did.
In the first meeting against Washington last season, McFadden had 14 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. In the second meeting, he had 12 carries for 92 yards.
“We’re going to be a team that is effective running the football over the course of the year and when you're that, defenses are going to spend a lot of time, energy and attention trying to stop that,” Garrett said. “But that can’t deter you. I thought we did a good job maintaining balance throughout most of the game and sometimes it’s not always going to be clean. You just have to keep pouring it up in there and get what you can get.”
8:19 AM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- If the Dallas Cowboys are to have a successful running game, they will have to get used to running dirty.
Because of an offensive line that has three Pro Bowlers in Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick and Zack Martin and because they used the fourth overall pick in the draft on Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys will not see the most favorable looks when they run the ball.
The looks will be muddier because they are forced to go with a rookie quarterback in Dak Prescott.
The push and pull of offensive success is based on a team making enough plays in the passing game to back defenses off or running the ball effectively enough to force a defense to use an extra defender.
This isn’t anything new. The Cowboys saw a lot of dirty looks in 2014 when DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing with 1,845 yards. They saw it last year when Darren McFadden finished fourth in the NFL with 1,089 yards.
The Cowboys ran for 101 yards on 30 carries in their 20-19 loss to the New York Giants in the season opener. Elliott had 20 carries for 51 yards, including an 8-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
“I think Zeke did a good job running hard when the runs were dirty to stick it on up in there and get what he could get,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He did have a couple runs that broke outside a little bit that were positive play for us and for him. But the NFL is hard. It’s hard to run the ball in the NFL. I think it was a good experience for him to feel that, to feel the challenge of being a productive runner down in and down out in the National Football League. It was a good experience for our team.”
Because of that offensive line and because of Elliott, the expectation is the Cowboys will be able to run at will on anyone.
As Garrett said, it will not be easy, but it needs to be better.
Against the Giants, Elliott saw an eight-man box seven times and gained 14 yards. He had one carry against a nine-man box for 2 yards. He had eight carries for 26 yards against a seven-man front and 9 yards on four carries against a four-man front.
In nine of his 20 carries he was hit at the line of scrimmage or in the backfield.
“We didn’t create enough movement on a consistent basis at the point of attack, on the back side on some of those carries,” Garrett said.
It is interesting that some have called for more of Alfred Morris since he carried seven times for 35 yards against the Giants. Garrett said Morris had cleaner looks than Elliott, but he also had more use out of the Cowboys’ wide zone scheme than Elliott.
Elliott’s work with the offensive line was limited in camp and the preseason, where he had just seven carries, because of a strained hamstring. The Cowboys also faced an improved defensive front in which the Giants paid to keep Jason Pierre-Paul and added Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison in free agency.
Garrett expects Washington, which was gashed by Pittsburgh Steelers back DeAngelo Williams (143 yards) on Monday, to attempt to copy at least some of what the Giants did.
In the first meeting against Washington last season, McFadden had 14 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. In the second meeting, he had 12 carries for 92 yards.
“We’re going to be a team that is effective running the football over the course of the year and when you're that, defenses are going to spend a lot of time, energy and attention trying to stop that,” Garrett said. “But that can’t deter you. I thought we did a good job maintaining balance throughout most of the game and sometimes it’s not always going to be clean. You just have to keep pouring it up in there and get what you can get.”
