Archer: Stephen Jones - Cowboys O can be great

Cotton

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Stephen Jones: Cowboys O can be great

June, 19, 2014

By Todd Archer | ESPNDallas.com

IRVING, Texas -- Much of the focus of the Dallas Cowboys' offseason has been about how to improve a defense that finished 32nd in the NFL last season.

The Cowboys swapped out defensive coordinators, bringing in Rod Marinelli for Monte Kiffin. They have swapped out players, cutting DeMarcus Ware and losing Jason Hatcher. They lost their best defender, Sean Lee, to a knee injury in May. Their highest-profile free-agent signing, Henry Melton, has not taken a team snap as he recovers from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. The biggest re-signing, Anthony Spencer, might not be able to take a snap in training camp as he recovers from microfracture knee surgery.

Despite the historic defensive deficiencies in 2013, the Cowboys were a Week 17 win away from making the playoffs.

With just a slight improvement on defense, the Cowboys believe they can contend for the postseason.

"I agree," executive vice president Stephen Jones said, "and I think we're better on offense than we were last year."

The Cowboys averaged 27.4 points per game last year, which was fifth-most in the league, but they averaged only 341.1 yards per game, which was 16th. They struggled on third down, converting just 35 percent, and they could not finish games by running the ball or chose not to attempt to run the ball.

Jones believes the offense has a chance to be great in 2014.

"Obviously we believe Tony Romo is an elite quarterback and you put the supporting cast with him, that's why picked Zack Martin," Jones said. "I think we're better in the offensive line and you'd hope so if you spent the 16th pick in the draft on one of the better offensive lineman in the draft. You'd like to hope you're better. And we were pretty good last year and I think we'll move that up to where you say, ‘Hey, we've got a chance to have an elite offense.'"

The pieces are there. Romo threw 31 touchdown passes and was intercepted just 10 times in 15 games. Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, DeMarco Murray and Tyron Smith went to the Pro Bowl. With Martin, the Cowboys have three first-round picks on the line with Smith andTravis Frederick. Wide receiver Terrance Williams proved he could be a playmaker last year and will take over for Miles Austin.

The Cowboys will break in their third playcaller in as many years in Scott Linehan after Jason Garrett and Bill Callahan, but Jones likes the freshness Linehan will bring to the offense. The Cowboys are not overhauling the system, but adding Linehan's wrinkles.

"I think he brings a different look," Jones said. "After a while when it's been Jason's offense and Bill ran Jason's offense and called the plays in Jason's offense but at the end of the day we'd been doing that for a while. I think now to add wrinkles and add things to it, I don't think it's going to be, when people get ready to play us, that they know exactly what to expect now."

_______________________________

Any article that infers the offense will be better without somewhere saying we have to run more is flushable to me.
 

ravidubey

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GO FUCK YOURSELF, STEPHEN.

I mean really. "Great" offenses win playoff games, not statistics comparisons.
 

L.T. Fan

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GO FUCK YOURSELF, STEPHEN.

I mean really. "Great" offenses win playoff games, not statistics comparisons.
This offense hasn't played a down this season. I think it may be premature to say they will be good but I don't think it's a stretch to say they can be good. The games will dictate whether they have made the right choices with their acquisitions. It will also tell whether they are ready to support the ground game. Personally I am looking forward to seeing how they hit the ground.
 

Plan9Misfit

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Didn't our executives say that our d-line was a "position of strength" last year? That didn't work out well, so I don't expect this brilliant claim to work out, either.
 

Simpleton

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All this offense needs is practical, pragmatic, level-headed play-calling along with health to be a top 3-5 offense in the league.

Romo is a very good QB, Witten is a top 5-10 TE, Bryant is a top 5 WR, Murray is a top 10 RB, Williams, Beasley, Dunbar and possibly Escobar are all decent complementary skill position players and our OL has the potential to be the very best in the league.
 

L.T. Fan

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All this offense needs is practical, pragmatic, level-headed play-calling along with health to be a top 3-5 offense in the league.

Romo is a very good QB, Witten is a top 5-10 TE, Bryant is a top 5 WR, Murray is a top 10 RB, Williams, Beasley, Dunbar and possibly Escobar are all decent complementary skill position players and our OL has the potential to be the very best in the league.
Couldn't agree more.
 

data

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It's important for the Jones' to have an elite offense to ensure entertainment and revenue.
 

ravidubey

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All this offense needs is practical, pragmatic, level-headed play-calling along with health to be a top 3-5 offense in the league.

Romo is a very good QB, Witten is a top 5-10 TE, Bryant is a top 5 WR, Murray is a top 10 RB, Williams, Beasley, Dunbar and possibly Escobar are all decent complementary skill position players and our OL has the potential to be the very best in the league.
Of course they can be a fine offense, but the first half of the first sentence says it all.

This is the team that called 17 passes in a row (absolutely unheard of) and then blames Tony Romo when the 17th toss is intercepted.

No one throws 17 times in a row. Only the dumbshit Cowboys. Regardless of the talent on board (each of whom I really like) you can't cure stupid.
 

Simpleton

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Of course they can be a fine offense, but the first half of the first sentence says it all.

This is the team that called 17 passes in a row (absolutely unheard of) and then blames Tony Romo when the 17th toss is intercepted.

No one throws 17 times in a row. Only the dumbshit Cowboys. Regardless of the talent on board (each of whom I really like) you can't cure stupid.
Yea, I don't see Garrett/Linehan changing, all the talent is there though.
 

Carp

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Jones said nnothing that I did not agree with.
 

Clay_Allison

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Jones said nnothing that I did not agree with.
"I think he brings a different look," Jones said. "After a while when it's been Jason's offense and Bill ran Jason's offense and called the plays in Jason's offense but at the end of the day we'd been doing that for a while. I think now to add wrinkles and add things to it, I don't think it's going to be, when people get ready to play us, that they know exactly what to expect now."
You really think any of this is true? I think we'll see the same looks, same playcalling, same offense as ever.
 

Simpleton

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The only new offensive aspect that I expect to see is more designed passes to the RB's out of the backfield, other than that, status quo.
 

ravidubey

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The only new offensive aspect that I expect to see is more designed passes to the RB's out of the backfield, other than that, status quo.
I've been screaming for this for years. If they do this one thing, the offense might be unstoppable. I don't mean the greatest ever-- more like impossible to hold under 3 TDs.
 

data

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Jones has been very coy about "it" this offseason, meaning it's going to blow up. Of course, when I say "it," I'm referring to the 2-TE offense.
 

boozeman

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http://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2014/06/24/situational-play-calling/

If we’ve learned anything about the Cowboys under coach Jason Garrett, it’s that they like to pass the ball…a lot. No team preferred the pass more than Dallas last season. The Cowboys ended up as the league’ No. 4 pass-heaviest offense despite holding a lead on 45 percent of their offensive snaps – sixth-highest in the league. Only Cleveland called pass more often when playing with the lead. New offensive coordinator Scott Linehan operated the league’s pass-heaviest offense during his time in Detroit.
Wow.

Just wow.
 

Cotton

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Very telling about our coaching.
 

boozeman

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Very telling about our coaching.
To me, it's Garrett.

Not Callahan. Nor will it be Linehan either.

Both guys favor the pass and always have.

What is very frustrating is that there is no longer an excuse not to have a more balanced offense.

Zero. None.

The talent has been collected.

Not that it was really necessary since you can't tell me for one second the Seattle OL is better overall. They are good at running the ball because it is part of what they believe in. If you believe in something and it is what you do, it is far easier to be successful at it.

It always comes down to Garrett's fucking trust issues. Frankly, I am sick of it.

He doesn't know defense enough to trust it, so he thinks he has to score more. Even when he scores more, he wants more because of the lack of trust and belief in the effectiveness of the running game.

He has to trust his OL now that it appears to be as close to complete as it possibly can be.

It is on him. But don't let that stop Jones from holding someone else accountable when it is said and done.
 

Cotton

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To me, it's Garrett.

Not Callahan. Nor will it be Linehan either.

Both guys favor the pass and always have.

What is very frustrating is that there is no longer an excuse not to have a more balanced offense.

Zero. None.

The talent has been collected.

Not that it was really necessary since you can't tell me for one second the Seattle OL is better overall. They are good at running the ball because it is part of what they believe in. If you believe in something and it is what you do, it is far easier to be successful at it.

It always comes down to Garrett's fucking trust issues. Frankly, I am sick of it.

He doesn't know defense enough to trust it, so he thinks he has to score more. Even when he scores more, he wants more because of the lack of trust and belief in the effectiveness of the running game.

He has to trust his OL now that it appears to be as close to complete as it possibly can be.

It is on him. But don't let that stop Jones from holding someone else accountable when it is said and done.
You mean, this year's scapegoat, Linehan?
 

boozeman

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You mean, this year's scapegoat, Linehan?
Or Marinelli. Jones can't bring himself to acknowledge his hand picked trainee head coach simply doesn't get it and probably never will.

I just am glad Garrett is a lame duck. Might make it easier for a regretful clean sweep.

If not, the stage is set for some assistant coach to be the patsy again.
 

Cotton

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Or Marinelli. Jones can't bring himself to acknowledge his hand picked trainee head coach simply doesn't get it and probably never will.

I just am glad Garrett is a lame duck. Might make it easier for a regretful clean sweep.

If not, the stage is set for some assistant coach to be the patsy again.
Marinelli.
 
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