dpf1123
DCC 4Life
- Joined
- Apr 8, 2013
- Messages
- 3,203
Decoding Schotty - Lots of Good, But Not Enough
The Cowboys offense had a chance in crunch time and came up short.
Bob Sturm2 hours ago
Every week for almost two decades, we spend an entire day evaluating the Cowboys offense in this space. We have called it “Decoding” over the many years and then the name behind the decoding is the man with the play-sheet. This is where we try to figure out the tactical and strategic plot-lines of the game and get a feel for how well it worked out for that side of the ball. For those of you new here, two things: 1) ask questions of anything you don’t quite understand and 2) I don’t claim to have all the answers, but willing to seek them. We also have many coaches in our audience who help make us all smarter.
Here we go. Our objectives for today:
- Overall Offensive Evaluation - Vs Baltimore
- Productively Inefficient
- Brevyn Spann-Ford is a Monster
- The Kyle Hamilton Problem
- Look at plenty of All-22 film and see what we can see.
OVERALL OFFENSIVE EVALUATION
Our task of evaluating the offense today is an interesting one because there are some real mixed results to say the least. But, more importantly, we have to remember that we seem to be grading these guys on a curve right now. Many teams do not have elite offense and elite defense, so to chart the progress of their journeys, we have to ask more of the more talented side (and the one where the money has been spent) until the other side can hopefully catch up and truly carry their own 50%.Right now, let there be no question that we expect the offense to always be good and to convert all the time while the defense gets credit for even the occasional stop. In some ways, it is unfair. But, then again, it is probably also unfair that the QB gets paid over $3.5 million every Sunday and that is higher than the annual salary of most of the secondary on Sunday combined. In other words, life isn’t fair.
But, yes, when you look at 31 points, 415 yards, and 27 first-downs, we are able to say with great certainty that this is often good enough for a win. Dallas did a very nice job of production in Brazil and that defense they moved up and down the field against is surely no slouch.
They ran the ball with great authority and productivity, they were up at 5.8 yards per play which is plenty solid. And they scored 10 points in the first quarter and 10 more in the fourth quarter. Double-digit quarters are not terribly frequent in the NFL, yet, we seem to be asking for the Cowboys to basically average between 8-10 points per quarter right now – even against defenses who have dudes that can wreck games.
It is a pretty unfair and even unreasonable ask.
And yet, for this team to get to double-digit wins, I think it is the only way.
Let’s circle back to the thresholds of 31 points, 415 yards, and 27 first downs. This is the 12th time that Dak Prescott has presided over this type of performance. It is a pretty rare treat and you can see that Dallas is now 9-3 in those games. In other words, they have actually lost three games like this and that includes Sunday.
The other two were in back to back weeks in 2020 when – you guessed it – the Dallas Cowboys had the worst defense we could ever remember when Mike Nolan had Seattle and Cleveland beat the Cowboys on back to back Sundays despite Dak and his offense producing 69 points, 1,088 yards, and 62 1st downs!
They went 0-2! And I am sure if we read back to the reviews, we would take some time to point out what the offense could have done better. Is it nuts? Are we being unfair to this offense who is getting all of these points, yards, and first downs? Isn’t that the name of the game?
Productively Inefficient
Look, the bar is very high right now for this offense. But, let’s not act like they are at the top of the stats across the board. They are just 7th in scoring, 12th in yards, and 5th in 1st downs. There is plenty more to be done.The drive chart will tell the story.
Out of the gates on fire, but definitely should have scored a touchdown on the first drive. Then punted from midfield and was stopped on fourth down in the second Quarter. Fumbled a good drive away and then had a FG blocked in the third Quarter. Finally, had the ball with the lead on Drive 10 and went 3-and-out and then settled for a field goal on Drive 11.
Sounds like I wanted them to score 42 points on Sunday, right? Yes.
Too many third-down mistakes, too many red zone flaws, and then a giveaway and a blocked field goal are basically two turnovers. I think we can all agree on a morning where we are here to stick to the offense that they left plenty of meat on the bone.
They will tell you the same thing – they should have won that game and they must be better at cashing in all of the production they had. And yes, to go back to yesterday, part of that will be not punting from midfield and not settling for 59-yard field goal attempts.
Brevyn Spann-Ford is a Monster
If I was in the market for a jersey (and if I was the type to wear them), I am telling you right now that I know which one I would be wearing.Brevyn Spann-Ford was an undrafted rookie out of Minnesota. If you know me, you know my natural distaste for the Gophers. But, BSF is so fun that I would proudly make an exception.
He is 6-foot-7, 270 pounds, and he plays like a player who was created to wreck stuff. He is as physical as a tight end can be and takes great pleasure in showing people he isn’t just big – he plays big, too. And he treats every special teams snap as if his life depends on it. He is such a piece.
So, here is 2:05 of my favorite BSF tape from his draft cycle until Sunday in Brazil.
I really hope you enjoyed that and also enjoyed that the Cowboys have extended him for three more years with a very nice contract that carries him here through 2029. He is going to be a dude for years to come.
Now, immediately, people want to jettison Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker to make room for BSF, but I will continue to draw your attention to 12 personnel and all of the short-yardage and goal-line blocking that continues to be “let’s get behind 89” and he will clear a path.
Again, they need to be running the ball a bit more on 1st and 2nd goal from inside the 2. They now have the dudes to get it in – especially when Tyler Smith returns.
Dak Prescott Next Gen Throw Chart
We will say plenty below on Prescott, but he was mostly excellent on Sunday. The one exception was inside the red zone and that is still not the best work of Dallas to offer more to him than fades to Pickens and Lamb. I watch this league every day and see inventive ways to scheme guys open – including how the Ravens got several of their completions in Brazil – and I wish Dallas had a bit more schematic design inside the red zone where execution is much more than asking the QB to figure it out himself.
The Kyle Hamilton Problem
Since we featured Kyle Hamilton in our preview and then he had four splash plays or so on Sunday, I thought we should acknowledge his huge contribution to the Ravens cause in this one. Josh made a nice reel.I think more than anything, this is the dream for Caleb Downs. He is not near the same size, but the battle plan is almost identical. Be our everywhere, everything guy up in the box as a DB who is not scared of contact or physical play. 14 is something else and we can only hope Caleb can be that good someday.
FILM STUDY
As I am sure you will imagine, we have more than a few pieces of film to look at, so let’s get to it.1Q 8:53 - 3-1-BLT 1 - D.Prescott sacked at BLT 10 for -9 yards (R.Smith).
This is a great scheme from Baltimore and one of those many cases where they are trying to get Dak to “throw and hope” into a Pick 6. This is so close to being a 99-yard touchdown if Dak just throws it up to Pickens to try to save the touchdown. This is a bunch set where 14-Hamilton is nowhere close to Pickens. But, that is the trap that when the Ravens get 0-Smith to hit a delayed blitz, some QBs will just trust that their WR is open at the pylon. Hamilton is not even trying to get to Pickens, but rather undercut him for the throw. Thankfully, Dak is incredibly smart at sniffing these out and he just eats the sack. I did not see this dangerous trap in real time, but now I am very impressed that the QB didn’t force it as he saw he was about to get hit. Also, the Cowboys need much faster solutions out of this set. These guys are too good to take this long to develop from the 1. Or, as I am sure some of you are saying, they could probably try to run the ball here, too.
1Q 5:05 - 3-7-BLT 11 - D.Prescott pass short right to K.Turpin pushed ob at BLT 2 for 9 yards (M.Starks) [T.Robinson].
This is just great work to beat a blitz on 3rd down by letting one of your targets go make a play. This happened several times in this game. Get a WR the ball in space and he can make the first guy miss. Great day for Turpin in the red zone, so we do see that he is part of the gameplan now. Excellent job here.
1Q 4:35 - 1-2-BLT 2 - J.Williams right guard for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Yes, you can run the ball at the 1 yard line. Pulling LG 66-Bass and pulling TE 89-Spann Ford. Let’s get behind 89 and follow him in. What a job and then Javonte was really determined on Sunday.
1Q 0:04 - 3-6-50 - D.Prescott pass incomplete short middle to J.Ferguson (K.Hamilton).
Excellent idea here, but Kyle Hamilton is a 6’4 safety with really long arms and he gets them in there to break up this pass. Let’s shout out Tyler Guyton again at left tackle. He is slowly but surely turning into a guy we don’t have to worry about constantly. I dare say he has taken a step forward.
2Q 9:24 - 4-1-DAL 44 - J.Williams right tackle to DAL 44 for no gain (R.Smith).
I love Javonte Williams and I love going for it on 4th down. I also believe that outcomes do not confirm decisions. But, Javonte, as much as we appreciate that you get north on every carry and go get positive yards – the opposite of a dancing RB who does not run decisively – you have got to get outside Terence Steele when you only need one yard. The Ravens have no edge. I think this one is a bad read by the RB and while it happens, it was pretty damaging at the time. They had this well blocked. He is awesome, but this one wasn’t.
2Q 0:27 - 3-6-BLT 20 - D.Prescott pass incomplete short left to R.Flournoy [C.Campbell].
This turned into a field goal here because the Cowboys couldn’t convert this 3rd and 6. On this one, it was a protection breakdown and and big Calais gets in there to get his hand on the ball. Looks like the crosser to Flournoy might be available, but the ball gets tipped into the ground. But, overall, the protection has really been strong over the last few weeks and we should be encouraged by that.
Ok, 2nd half.
3Q 10:40 - 1-10-BLT 23 - D.Prescott pass short middle to J.Ferguson to BLT 24 for -1 yards (T.Jones), Lost Fumble.
This is definitely one of those calls that looks great on the board, but awful in reality. Now, we can easily see something like this at the 1-yard line, but on 1st and 10 at the plus 23? I don’t really see the plan here. Then it is made much worse by the fumble call and as much as Jake Ferguson’s fumble problem is annoying, I just don’t think you can call this a completed pass and fumble based on how this sort of play has been officiated in this league for a while. Either way, it is a huge moment and we probably won’t see this call again between the 20’s this season, I’d predict. The Ravens were all over this nonsense.
3Q 3:39 - 1-10-DAL 33 J.Williams left tackle to DAL 48 for 15 yards (M.Starks; K.Hamilton).
Sunday, Javonte Williams looked like he did in 2025 for the first time and that is very exciting as we look forward. He is just so downhill and violent in his runs. There were many we could feature, but I particularly liked how decisive and sudden he is on this one. Schoonmaker gets pushed into his path and he simply dances around it and accelerates. He is really a nice player.
Here was his full day.
I would say that suggests that Guyton and Bass are doing ok, wouldn’t you?
3Q 2:55 - 3-10-DAL 48 - D.Prescott pass short right to G.Pickens pushed ob at BLT 33 for 19 yards (R.Smith; C.Rivers).
3rd and long – find George Pickens and let him prove to be a problem in the open field. We are used to small and elusive, but usually guys this size – other than Terrell Owens – don’t seem so hard to corral as George. But, as you can see, you just get him the ball and watch defenders struggle to find him.
3Q 1:53 - 2-11-BAL 19 - D.Prescott pass deep right to J.Ferguson for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Fun Cover 4 beater here from the Cowboys just moments later for a Touchdown. Motion Ferguson inside to the No. 2 and then let CeeDee carry the outside player in to the safety. Now, we have two defenders on Lamb and Ferguson slides on the wheel route behind him to the pylon where Dak puts it on him nicely for a touchdown. Nice scheme idea here. The safety simply doesn’t have time to get there.
4Q 12:25 - 2-9-DAL 5 - D.Prescott pass deep left to C.Lamb pushed ob at BLT 46 for 49 yards (M.Humphrey).
Here are the Ravens again in Cover 4 – where they spent most of the day – and Dak does a great job of eyeballing the slot, 19-Flournoy, to draw the safety. Once the safety on Lamb’s side takes a step to Flournoy on the deep over, Dak knows Lamb is 1-on-1 against 44-Humphery. When you see no help with Lamb, you give him a chance and this is so close to 95-yard touchdown. Love this 989 concept and the way the Cowboys have been killing with it in the last two weeks.
4Q - 11:52 - 1-10-BAL 46 - D.Prescott pass short right to B.Spann-Ford to BLT 27 for 19 yards (M.Green) [T.Hendrickson].
This is the very next play and the Ravens dial up a blitz. They have had enough of Dak looking comfortable, so here they come. This time, Tyler Guyton vs Trey Hendrickson goes very poorly and Hendrickson hits Dak right as the ball is coming out. Now, Brevyn Spann Ford does great things in the open field by making 15-Green miss in space and then starts rumbling down the field. What a wonderful sight to see.
4Q - 10:30 - 2-8-BLT 25 - D.Prescott pass incomplete short right to G.Pickens (T.Robinson).
Here is yet another Ravens ambush to try to trick Dak into an interception and they just about catch him. 95-Robinson does a zone drop as Roquan Smith is blitzing and they almost catch Dak thinking the slant to Pickens is taking candy from a baby. Not so fast and he almost sees the train before it hits him, but Robinson cannot hold on. Robinson even sells it by engaging 78-Steele as if he is rushing and that is just great defensive scheme more than a QB who is not paying attention. The deception in this league and by Baltimore is so impresive.
4Q - 9:46 - 1-9-BLT 9 - K.Turpin left end for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
Here is the touchdown to Turpin and it is a run right with a jet-sweep left to counter it. Really difficult to defend the entire width of the field vs this concept. Great work from Klayton Adams on a day where the red zone ideas were not all great.
4Q - 1:09 - 2-1-BLT 29 - D.Prescott scrambles up the middle to BLT 22 for 7 yards (M.Starks).
This is another spot where Dak is making good decisions. It looks like Trey Hendrickson is keeping the quick out to 18-Mingo from happening, so Dak thinks on his feet and just heads upfield to move the chains.
4Q - 0:14 - 3-5-BLT 5 - D.Prescott pass incomplete short right to G.Pickens.
And finally, from yesterday’s piece:
third-and-goal from the 5-yard line with the game on the line, I am never telling my QB to throw the ball into the stands unless protection has broken down and we have nothing. Unfortunately, due to a number of details including the first snap of Broderick Jones at right tackle for an injured Terence Steele and not having any timeouts left, that is what happened.
The pylon throw is there. Now, this is an obvious second-guess by looking at the tape above, but come on. That is George Pickens. One of the most imposing and physical receivers in the business. He is big and he plays big. He is going against 182-pound Nate Wiggins and I have to give Pickens the chance. 24-Malaki Starks is sitting on the slant, so we have to avoid that, but the back shoulder to the near pylon seems like a play where Pickens simply walls off Wiggins and we take our chances.
I love the call and I love the matchup. Seize the day and go get your dinner. Put the anticipation throw outside Pickens where only he can catch it and may the football gods smile upon us.
Instead, it sure sounds like the coach called his own foul from the post-game podium. I want you to pay special attention to the phrase, “because we had the points.”
Conclusions:
I liked plenty of what we saw on Sunday and felt the coaching let them down in some key spots. I also had some issues with Dak taking control in the late stages, but he played a really strong game, too. The running game was good, the OL was quite passable, and the weapons looked strong.This is a very good offense and they need to be very good. The result hurts, but there is a lot to like and they will need to be ready to roll to pull anything decent out of Houston on Sunday against an elite defense.
Tomorrow, the news is far more complicated with the defense that is beaten up (in more ways than one).
What did you see?