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Training in any sport, especially football, is an absolute task. Football coaches are on the premises during the season at 6 am and often only leave around midnight. They plan the game, do reconnaissance, practice planning, and review the alignment. Coaches work their tail, and I respect the efforts they put into their craft. That's why you will hardly ever be surprised to advocate for the dismissal of a coach, even when that seems to be the time.
However, it is time for the US team to have a new leader.
The Dallas Cowboys are back in no man's land. They are not good enough to win the Super Bowl, let alone the NFC East, and they are not bad enough to rank among the top three. Something must change in Dallas to get results with this team, and that starts with leaving Jason Garrett to leave.
The attack of the Cowboys is broken
It's bland, boring and predictable. Garrett is an offensive-minded head coach, so when the offensive is struggling, it's on his shoulders, even if he does not call the game. You can not blame the sous-chef for the quality mediocre food if you are the one helping to design and run the meal. The Cowboys offense has scored 20 points or less in their last 16 games. The staff is wasting the rookie years of his best players like Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott.
The 2016 season was supposed to be the one where the Cowboys set everything up, and offensively they did it. They had the best offensive line of the game with Tyron Smith, Ron Leary, Collins' La'el, Travis Frederick, Zach Martin and Doug Free. These guys were moving the defenders of the ball and blocking their asses. They could not be arrested.
Jason Witten was at the tight end and Dez Bryant at the wide receiver. Add to that the fourth overall pick, Elliott, and the fourth-round rookie choice, Prescott, replacing injured Tony Romo. This Cowboys offense was powerful and explosive. 2nd in rushing yards and 5th in points per game. The attack, with a surprisingly good defense, led the team to a 13-3 record and an NFC Eastern crown.
When a team plays well, it is "easy" to coach effective matches and winners. Everything seems to click and the future is promising. But the real measure of coaching success is not when things are going well, but rather when things are not going according to plan. How do you adjust? How do you handle adversity? Does your team look ready to play? How much do they play?
I think we've seen Garrett's answers to these questions in Dallas over the past two seasons. And it's not good.
The effort was not a problem, so let's throw it away. Defense has not been a problem in Dallas in the last two seasons. In fact, Rod Marinelli's unit far exceeded defense expectations. They have been excellent against the race and do not allow a lot of points.
While it may seem unrealistic to assume that 2016 is the norm with regard to the Cowboys' offense, the problem facing Dallas is the vertiginous drop in offensive production without any real attempt at course correction. . And that's where Jason Garrett's job security problem lies.
In 2016, the offense ranked third in the DVOA, according to Football Outsiders. Last season, he fell to 10th place. This season is 25th (not counting the loss of this week against the Titans). This is not good.
Refuse to adapt to changes in personnel
Maybe you could excuse part of last season because the Cowboys missed All Pro Tyron Smith for a while and Zeke Elliott missed for six games. And I say "may" because although the injuries are part of the game and can have a negative impact on the team, we have not seen any adjustment on the part of the Cowboys. When Smith came out, the Cowboys did nothing to help Chaz Green at the left attack. At the time, I was right to say that adding help to a tackle in a game plan can be difficult in the middle of the game when it's never planned. The Cowboys assumed that Green would not fight so badly, but he did. This prevents their staff from preparing properly and not making the necessary adjustments.
When I started my first game with the tacklers in 2009, on my first career start, we played an outstanding Vikings defense against Sunday Night football. Unlike this situation where there was an outside chance that Smith would play, I knew I was starting the Monday before the match. Offensive staff has come up with a complete game plan with help in my direction. It often called for a close end on my side. They drove the quarterback by my side, which made my block easier. We slipped the line to the right.
It has sometimes happened to win one-on-one battles, but when you receive help in 50% of the time, you gain self-confidence to win these duels. The Panthers have devised a game plan to help the offensive and me to succeed. We did not see much of last season when Smith was away.
Elliott had not missed six games, but he did not excuse the lack of offense during that period. We have seen teams losing the half, especially with Le'Veon Bell in Pittsburgh, and the team is still thriving on offense. It takes a more creative offensive game plan to face the storm when it lacks an important offensive element. The Cowboys have not done anything of it. They ran the same offense despite missing their best offensive player.
A lack of creativity
Creative game planning and NFL trend tracking are not what the Cowboys do best.
The NFL is changing. There are unique ways to design and implement a game plan. What makes Sean McVay, Andy Reid and others so great is their willingness to learn. To add to their basic offense. To be curious. Find new unique and explosive ways to move the ball. Not everyone will be as good as these guys, but everyone has to try. I do not see this effort in Dallas.
Take their use of the game action pass with Prescott.
Game passes are excellent for many reasons and NFL teams use them more than ever. First, it benefits the aggressive players of the defense who feel the race and often get out of position to defend the pass. Second, it makes the quarterback readings much easier and better defined. This often makes it possible to throw in larger windows when the defenders are not close to the catcher. Third, it slows the precipitation of the passes. The Rushers read the race, get ready for the game, then have to start their race again to head for the quarterback.
The Cowboys made the move by defeating one of the main strengths of the offensive in 2016. Prescott was close to the NFL with 109 assists and over 1,000 passing yards in those situations. Last season, Dak made 105 pass attempts on action passes. You may think that "it's close to 2016, they have to do something good." Nope. These 105 attempts at action were only good for 17th place in the NFL. This season, Prescott has only attempted 49 play action passes, good for the 25th.
Cowboys do not use their quarterback abilities to help their attack generate points.
Before you say "you must run the ball to end the game action passes!", That's just not true. We have already seen that there is no correction between the success of the running game and the success rate of the passes to play.
Worse still, the Cowboys find somehow a way to limit Elliott's touching when it matters most. Monday's loss to the Titans was an excellent example. Elliott had 96 yards in the first half and only touched the ball six times in the second half. This represents 100% of the coaching staff.
Elliott is clearly the most explosive option in attack, be it the ball race or the game on the screen. When it matters most, he should receive the ball.
What about the QB?
Prescott is hanging out to dismiss Garrett and hire a new head coach. What happens to the quarterback? I would say that Dak needs a new offensive spirit to really evaluate if he is still a quarter of the team of the future.
He needs a new system, a system that uses what he does best and showcases his ability to move in the pocket and stand out from the crowd. It needs a system that includes game passes, intersecting routes and the type of unique roads that allow players to open for easy throws. If Nick Mullens can destroy a defense, Dak Prescott can too.
If I were the Cowboys, I'd go after Lincoln Riley. Throw enough money in his direction so he can not say no. Let him in and find the right way to use all these weapons and do it quickly.
Unlike the Seahawks, Eagles and Rams, the Cowboys have almost wasted the beautiful years of Prescott and Elliot while they could take advantage of their rookie contracts to strengthen their team.
Turning around with the Cowboys begins with the offensive. Dallas must find a person who can do it as quickly as possible, before it's too late for the younger core of talent he has now.
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