Troy Aikman rips Cowboys’ usage of CeeDee Lamb vs. 49ers: ‘The game is not that difficult’

[p1_]

“[Michael] Irvin would have had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way that they played CeeDee Lamb,” Aikman said.



By Joey Hayden



12:30 PM on Jan 19, 2022



The Dallas Cowboys season ended in disappointment after falling to the San Francisco 49ers at home in the wild-card round of the postseason.



In a year riddled with questions surrounding the Dallas offense, the Cowboys still managed (most of the time) to put points on the board at AT&T Stadium -- scoring at least 33 points in six of eight home games -- until they didn’t in a 23-17 loss on Sunday.



While some were concerned by the lack of touches for Tony Pollard or questioned the team’s discipline when it came to pre-snap penalties, a prominent figure in Cowboys history criticized the team’s inability to get the ball in the hands of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.



“Last week in the game against San Francisco, I think — and it happened in [Eagles-Buccaneers] and I commented on it if you watch the game — was that CeeDee Lamb, what did he have? One catch in the game?” said Pro Football Hall of Famer and Fox broadcaster Troy Aikman while joining The Musers on 96.7 FM/1310 AM The Ticket [KTCK-AM] for his weekly interview on Wednesday.



“San Francisco rushed four guys for the most part. They blitzed occasionally, but they’re a four-man rush football team. But a lot of times when you say that, then you think, ‘Oh, well, they’re playing coverage.’ Well, they mixed in some coverage, but there was a lot of single coverage on CeeDee Lamb. And I would tell you, as I said in our game last week at halftime when they couldn’t get the ball to DeVonta Smith, when the Eagles couldn’t — if it was back when I was playing, and I hate going back to that point because nobody cares, but what I see around the league, it’s not just Dallas, it was in Philadelphia. I’ve seen it with a lot of teams that a lot of these offenses, they want to scheme things. The coordinators — it’s all about scheme rather than this corner is playing soft, he’s scared to death, just run the route tree. Just run a comeback. Run a dig route. Run a curl. Run anything. And you’re going to complete the pass whenever you want.”



Lamb finished Sunday’s loss with one catch for 21 yards on five targets. He also picked up 5 yards on a single rushing attempt. Lamb finished the season with 79 catches for 1,102 yards and 6 touchdowns.



“[Michael] Irvin would have had 10 catches at halftime if they played us the way that they played CeeDee Lamb in that game. So, I just don’t quite understand that,” Aikman said.



“It’s interesting. I was at [John] Madden’s memorial service yesterday in Oakland, and Peyton Manning was there, and we got to talking about the game, and I was having this conversation with him, and he agreed that more and more you just see that teams — the game is not that difficult. If I’ve got a great player at wide receiver and a corner is playing him single coverage, throw him the ball. He’s going to win most of the time and that’s what they do in Green Bay with Davante Adams. But for some reason a lot of other teams, including Dallas in that game on Sunday — and I’m sure that the coaches go back and look at that and say, ‘Man, why didn’t we do that?’ They tried a couple times, the hit the one catch he had. And then they had another one where the DB played it pretty well. But for the most part they just didn’t take advantage of some of the looks that I think they had and they could have.”

 

[deadrise]

Hate to dredge up the Kurt Warner video, but Aikman is exactly right. Moore is portrayed as such a boy genius, but according to Warner the play designs and the design of the pass routes are very standard. On one of the plays, his comment was, "here's a play the Cowboys run all the time" -- to the point where the 49ers were recognizing and anticipating the routes. The routes also played right into the hands of SF's zone defense.

He was also critical of Prescott. Not making the progressions in the proper order, not seeing the intervals when receivers are open, and taking too long to get rid of the ball.

I don't know if Moore is also a QB coach in addition to being the OC, but someone needs to work with Prescott. I don't know how Prescott managed to slice and dice Philly and Washington, but SF had his number almost the whole time.

If Moore stays and nobody changes schemes, and nobody works with Prescott, 2022 will be an instant replay. I would think every DC in the league could watch the Kurt Warner video and have a blueprint.

 

[Simpleton]

Hate to dredge up the Kurt Warner video, but Aikman is exactly right. Moore is portrayed as such a boy genius, but according to Warner the play designs and the design of the pass routes are very standard. On one of the plays, his comment was, "here's a play the Cowboys run all the time" -- to the point where the 49ers were recognizing and anticipating the routes. The routes also played right into the hands of SF's zone defense.

He was also critical of Prescott. Not making the progressions in the proper order, not seeing the intervals when receivers are open, and taking too long to get rid of the ball.

I don't know if Moore is also a QB coach in addition to being the OC, but someone needs to work with Prescott. I don't know how Prescott managed to slice and dice Philly and Washington, but SF had his number almost the whole time.

If Moore stays and nobody changes schemes, and nobody works with Prescott, 2022 will be an instant replay. I would think every DC in the league could watch the Kurt Warner video and have a blueprint.

We ran that play 3 teams and never adjusted it even though SF showed they knew exactly what was coming the first time.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Hate to dredge up the Kurt Warner video, but Aikman is exactly right. Moore is portrayed as such a boy genius, but according to Warner the play designs and the design of the pass routes are very standard. On one of the plays, his comment was, "here's a play the Cowboys run all the time" -- to the point where the 49ers were recognizing and anticipating the routes. The routes also played right into the hands of SF's zone defense.

He was also critical of Prescott. Not making the progressions in the proper order, not seeing the intervals when receivers are open, and taking too long to get rid of the ball.

I don't know if Moore is also a QB coach in addition to being the OC, but someone needs to work with Prescott. I don't know how Prescott managed to slice and dice Philly and Washington, but SF had his number almost the whole time.

If Moore stays and nobody changes schemes, and nobody works with Prescott, 2022 will be an instant replay. I would think every DC in the league could watch the Kurt Warner video and have a blueprint.

We don't ever seem to attack a weak corner. I'm with Aikman, sometimes you just have to narrow things down and stop overthinking it. If you have single coverage and your WR is better than their corner then you go after it. You run hooks, slants or whatever. And when the corner starts to try to jump it you hit them over the top with a big play. Stop thinking of the passing game as 11 on 11 and starting thinking of it as more of a 1 on 1. That's how Aikman was with Irvin. He didn't need to see the whole field at times. He just needed to see Irvin and the corner across from him. The rest was just noise.

 

[Shiningstar]

i really hate this commentary.


The season DID not end in disappointment. it ended exactly as some of knew it would.

 

[bbgun]

The failed pass right before the two minute warning in the 4th: bad pass or Lamb drop? They didn't show a replay.

 

[Shiningstar]

The failed pass right before the two minute warning in the 4th: bad pass or Lamb drop? They didn't show a replay.

Lamb is not what people think he is. hes less than that. solid WR nothing more.

 

[p1_]

i really hate this commentary.
The season DID not end in disappointment. it ended exactly as some of knew it would.

I thought the season would end just as it did, and yet I had higher expectations.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Moore is portrayed as such a boy genius, but according to Warner the play designs and the design of the pass routes are very standard. On one of the plays, his comment was, "here's a play the Cowboys run all the time" -- to the point where the 49ers were recognizing and anticipating the routes. The routes also played right into the hands of SF's zone defense.

Too much Garrett in him.

 

[p1_]

Too much Garrett in him.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Lamb is not what people think he is. hes less than that. solid WR nothing more.

I think his hands are inconsistent but most everything I like a lot. Still Cooper is the guy most capable of beating a guy man on man on our roster. I wish we had some more elite route runners.

 

[Shiningstar]

I thought the season would end just as it did, and yet I had higher expectations.

i picked up on that as well, but i think you had good points of view, i just held to my jaded view

 

[deadrise]

Warner pointed out three or four instances where the SF corners were playing off (in a zone), and the two outside routes were either curls or stops. He showed how Prescott has to stop, plant his back foot and throw to one of those guys, getting rid of the ball quick, before the receiver even turns. Just like Aikman said.

Instead, Prescott drops deep, surveys the whole field, looking downfield, looking for a big throw down the seams, which, because of the predictable pass route designs and the coverage, aren't there.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Warner pointed out three or four instances where the SF corners were playing off (in a zone), and the two outside routes were either curls or stops.

 

[deadrise]

Question is, has Warner ever coached or been a coordinator in the NFL? Don't think so. But his video was the most educational and illuminating I've ever seen (from a layman's perspective) on pass routes, coverages, and timing between QB and receiver. It was very similar to the point Aikman was making: take what the defense gives you -- and they always have to give you something.

Two of the plays Warner talked about were blitzes, where Dak—and a receiver—had to be able to see and recognize the guy they couldn't get blocked. The receiver's job is to break off the route into the open area. Dak's job is to get the ball out, fast, to the hot receiver. I swear Dak and the offense looked clueless in the face of those two blitzes. A 5-year guy making $40 million shouldn't look that clueless. Either no one's taught him anything or he's a slow learner.

 

[Simpleton]

I think his hands are inconsistent but most everything I like a lot. Still Cooper is the guy most capable of beating a guy man on man on our roster. I wish we had some more elite route runners.

I don't think he reads coverages well and adjusts his routes accordingly. He seems to be on a different page than Dak more than anybody else and I think it probably has to do with him not reading coverages right on option routes and/or just being a sloppy route runner.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I don't think he reads coverages well and adjusts his routes accordingly. He seems to be on a different page than Dak more than anybody else and I think it probably has to do with him not reading coverages right on option routes and/or just being a sloppy route runner.

Yeah it's what I like best about Cooper. The guy can run stellar routes. If he has one on one coverage he doesn't get beat. You want to run a comeback and he can do those all day long with almost no chance of a pick. I do feel like he was severely underutilized and I'm not sure why. Not sure if it was injuries or a pissing match over missing time with COVID but that's the one guy you can kill it with.

I also think Lamb is best out of the slot. Guy has had some massive games from there but I think we sort of bumped him to the outside without Gallup and I think it took away from Lamb despite him still having a good season.

I'm a little torn on the offseason at WR. Part of me would like one of these slot receivers that are great route runners, can run jet sweeps and are generally more of the sub 6 foot type. But I also recognize that maybe Lamb is best in the slot and we should really be looking for getting Gallup back or replacing him with a great route runner on the outside. I think Wilson can also play the outside but we seem to love him in the slot where he has done great much like Lamb use to.

 

[1bigfan13]

I don't know if Moore is also a QB coach in addition to being the OC, but someone needs to work with Prescott.

Charging Kellen Moore with the development of Dak was an incredibly bad idea from the start.

Moore joined the staff in 2018 as the QB coach with no coaching experience. Dak was coming off a pretty disappointing 2017 season and obviously needed an experienced coach guiding him. Saddling him with a clueless newbie was a recipe for disaster.

It just goes to show how little the Jones family thinks coaching matters. Jerry essentially uttered that back in the mid-90s when he was going through his breakup with Jimmy. Here we are 26 years of failure later and he obviously still has that same opinion of coaches.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Charging Kellen Moore with the development of Dak was an incredibly idea from the start.

Moore joined the staff in 2018 as the QB coach with no coaching experience. Dak was coming off a pretty disappointing 2017 season and obviously needed an experienced coach guiding him. Saddling him with a clueless newbie was a recipe for disaster.

It just goes to show how little the Jones family thinks coaching matters. Jerry essentially uttered that back in the mid-90s when he was going through his breakup with Jimmy. Here we are 26 years of failure later and he obviously still has that same opinion of coaches.

I'd love to bring in a top line QB coach for Dak. Who could maybe also help Kellen Moore out more. I mean shit Kurt Warner has never been a coach and he seems to have pretty damn good insights into what is wrong with the offense.

Yet I'm not really sure our QB coach knows what the hell he is doing.

 

[1bigfan13]

I'd love to bring in a top line QB coach for Dak. Who could maybe also help Kellen Moore out more. I mean shit Kurt Warner has never been a coach and he seems to have pretty damn good insights into what is wrong with the offense.

Yet I'm not really sure our QB coach knows what the hell he is doing.

That's because Kurt Warner is a decorated vet who's been around the NFL for over 25 years.

If you told me that someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick was going to be the QB coach back in 2018, I wouldn't have a problem with it because of Fitzpatrick's length of nfl experience. Moore on the other hand only had about 5 years of experience to his credit.