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A coach's rant - This team is worse than we think.


Dallas94Ware

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Worse than we think? How is that possible?

The proof is in the tape. 

And it begins at the top.

McCarthy's track record of managing a game - those key decisions that juggle 4th down attempts, 2pt attempts, choices of running clock vs running up a score, etc - was as often criticized as Garrett's, if not more so. Yet this was the ballgame manager chosed to replace Garrett. And through 4 games, this team has more failed 4th down conversion attempts than it has turnovers. You stat guys that bring up nextgen analytics and PFF crap stats, let that sink in for a second. In 4 games why would any teamnhave that many attempts?

Then there is the game script.

Against a Cleveland defense that is horrendous on the edges vs the run and weak in the short passing game, the game plan script is what? Hammer the MIDDLE, throw it deep at the middle too. Did this staff watch film at all? Against an Atlanta offense that has had issues creating separation, you run that many zone defenses and allow those guys a chance to find holes in the zone? Again, did anyone watch film? Against a Rams offense that survived last season with an average record only after switching their system around to quick releases and short routes to mask Goffs weaknesses, this D is running blitzes and playing man-up off the line? Are you freaking kidding me? 

The players need to be held accountable, too.

Amari. All that money. Where are you hiding, that Cedrick Wilson steps his game up in a key rally opportunity? Why are you staying in bounds when we are working against the clock vs cleveland? How are you being pressed off your route every freaking time when you are one of the top paid men on this team? Lawrence. Mr. War Daddy. Four games, no sacks. Barely a blip on the radar in a quarter of a season. Struggling to break a block vs the run too? Come on, dude. I said it was terrible to sign you, but i really hoped you would proove me wrong and shove my words down my throat. Jaylon Smith, its your time to shine with all your running mates down. No, no, its fine, you can take bad angles and blow coverages if you like. It is totally fine, sure, you can ask for a breather on a key 3rd down passing play as our best cover backer and 2nd highest paid man in our front 7. Ugh. 

And the play design? It looks like someone spilled coffee on the playbook and the ink has run pretty badly.

Typically with a 3 wide, single set back formation, your Y man can motion freely to accomplish a few key things. First, help identify man vs zone. Second, create more favorable player matchups. Third, provide an extra blocker to the run side. Fourth, and this is a big one, work your slot guy in an area where his quickness in short areas can create problems for the defender in man coverage situations. What do we keep doing? Running stagnant, isolation routes from the inside with little motion. Ideally, with this much firepower on the outside, you can keep a tight end  for pass protection. What do we keep doing? Utilizing a blocking tight end on vertical based passing routes that allow this struggling OL to be exposed, and take targets away from your real playmakers. 

In a 1 on 1 defensive man coverage matchup, Diggs is tripped up and causes a blown coverage. Not by a receiver crossing his line of coverage, or even a safety venturing too close in anticipation. No, the blown coverage is caused by a linebacker in zone way too close to the outside of the field. What moron designs a deep halves man coverage play with linebackers in wide third zones? You are interfering with your corners. Idiocy in play design at its finest. Sad part? This playcall has been more prominent this week as we try to aid an injured CB group.

And you know what? It is not any one persons fault. It takes more than 1 person to make a team this bad. And make no mistake. Its bad.

I dont just say this because of a heartbreaking loss - ANYONE who remembers me from here before my health hiatus for 20 months knows that this old coach is often even keeled when it comes to wins and losses, and actually detest the over reacted sky is falling nonsense after a loss and the just as bad we are going to the SB sounding crap after a big win.

No, I say this solely because the tape does not lie. The coaching is bad. Game management has been bad. Play execution has been bad. Play calling has been bad. 

Just about the only thing that has not been bad? The only star on this team that has not yet gotten paid. And that in itself is proof of much of a mess this team truly is.

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I said this 2 weeks ago that this is a bad football team. Team is down 41-14 not gonna have 2 miracle comebacks in one season. On defense forget it there are guys wide open in the secondary every week. There defensive tackles are bad along with the secondary. There is a int strip sack and fumble by Zeke every week. It’s badly coached and poor talent on defense. 

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1 minute ago, cromagnum said:

I said this 2 weeks ago that this is a bad football team. Team is down 41-14 not gonna have 2 miracle comebacks in one season. On defense forget it there are guys wide open in the secondary every week. There defensive tackles are bad along with the secondary. There is a int strip sack and fumble by Zeke every week. It’s badly coached and poor talent on defense. 

I wont say the team is poor with talent, even defensive talent. A lot of the team errors on defense are mental - not physical, talent based shortcomings. 

For example - on Odells TD run. Jaylon smith is stride for stride with him for most of the run. STRIDE FOR STRIDE. This isnt man coverage you bafoon, TACKLE THE BALLCARRIER! Completely blew it. 

Another example from the same play. Aldon Smith penetrates. Reads the play as a fake. And he CHASES Odell who sprints out of his reach. You NEVER CHASE. You do NOT attack. You stand your ground.You delay the runner so help can swarm. You NEVER try to do it on your own when you are easily no where near as fast as that man, who already has a head start on his stride. A complete mental error.

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1 minute ago, Dallas94Ware said:

I wont say the team is poor with talent, even defensive talent. A lot of the team errors on defense are mental - not physical, talent based shortcomings. 

For example - on Odells TD run. Jaylon smith is stride for stride with him for most of the run. STRIDE FOR STRIDE. This isnt man coverage you bafoon, TACKLE THE BALLCARRIER! Completely blew it. 

Another example from the same play. Aldon Smith penetrates. Reads the play as a fake. And he CHASES Odell who sprints out of his reach. You NEVER CHASE. You do NOT attack. You stand your ground.You delay the runner so help can swarm. You NEVER try to do it on your own when you are easily no where near as fast as that man, who already has a head start on his stride. A complete mental error.

Hill and Poe are not any good. You know what Jimmy said when he was coach. Never draft or sign dumb football players who constantly make mental mistakes.

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Just now, TheGame316 said:

So, To clarify, Dak throws for 500 yards and loses and he's awesome even though he was a ghost in quarters 2 and 3

but

Amari "All That Money" is M.I.A. "hiding" when he has 12 catches for 134 and a TD?

You clearly didnt read my entire post.

I am referring to the entire season up to this point. In 4 games Amari had 1 performance worthy of any note. In 4 games, Dak keeps being forced to try for miracle rally wins and consistently puts his team in a situation where it is possible. Because of his defense, it essentially becomes 2 or 3 "game winning drive" attempts, not just 1. How many times does he score in a game to put us in a position to steal the the win, theD give it up again, and Dak have to do the same thing all over again? Yet the guy cant get paid?

While Amari had 1 standout game. One. A single performance, and it was not even that spectacular - these are numbers he should be putting up every other game or nearly every game. NOT ONCE A MONTH.

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22 minutes ago, TheGame316 said:

So, To clarify, Dak throws for 500 yards and loses and he's awesome even though he was a ghost in quarters 2 and 3

but

Amari "All That Money" is M.I.A. "hiding" when he has 12 catches for 134 and a TD?

As for dak disappearing. Where did he disappear? Second quarter: Dropped ball costs 1 drive. Poor blocking another. And a dumb penalty another. Thats on Dak? He escaped 2 sacks in that quarter as well, for 1 of 1 for 17 yards and a 1yard scramble on those escaped sack plays. 

Third quarter: Blown blocking assignment resulting in a sack costs 1 drive after a poor zeke run and a throw away. 

5 of 6 for 30yards on the next 3rd quarter drive, and a dalton schultz drop resulting in 4th down attempt, where CeeDee Lamb was mushed off the ball on a pretty good throw.

 That was it fornthe 3rdnquarter, as the defense allowed long clock chewing drives by cleveland even with Chubb gone.

So where in here is anything that speaks of Dak disappearing today? Because his TEAM let HIM down when he gave them.every opportunity to win?

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While I still feel the injuries no preseason are the key factors in why Dallas is a terrible team right now I still will give some time to make my own mind about the potential of this team going forward.   Most of the problems I see are

1. Scheme oriented - people not being put in the right spot to succeed 

2. Mental errors and just plain player mistakes 

3.  Injuries at spots that couldn’t afford it  LB CB and OL  if we knew Collins was doubtful to play this year and it sounds like we did then we really needed to address OL beyond the drafting of a center   Expecting Steele or Knight to be your starters was a major mistake in planning doubly so as that means you count on Smith playing all year something you can not come close to counting  on.  ALl three CB starters from last year are not playing right now that is a huge change with zero preseason to work it out. Safeties have the same issue.  Woods is good around the LOS not as a cover guy down field. Same for Lewis. Our other safety has zero experience. not having Lee and LVE has destroyed our LB core.  Thomas had been okay but without Lee and LVR, Smith has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off.  The injury to McKay totally blew up the DL plans. Though I think ultimately Hill will be fine here.  

4. Bad bounces. Like today I still don’t understand how that was a hit to a defenseless receiver then the one where the Cleveland guy took out Schultz at the knees???    Though oddly our 1 win was due to a good bounce our way  which I guess says something as well.  


 

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32 minutes ago, quiller said:

While I still feel the injuries no preseason are the key factors in why Dallas is a terrible team right now I still will give some time to make my own mind about the potential of this team going forward.   Most of the problems I see are

1. Scheme oriented - people not being put in the right spot to succeed 

2. Mental errors and just plain player mistakes 

3.  Injuries at spots that couldn’t afford it  LB CB and OL  if we knew Collins was doubtful to play this year and it sounds like we did then we really needed to address OL beyond the drafting of a center   Expecting Steele or Knight to be your starters was a major mistake in planning doubly so as that means you count on Smith playing all year something you can not come close to counting  on.  ALl three CB starters from last year are not playing right now that is a huge change with zero preseason to work it out. Safeties have the same issue.  Woods is good around the LOS not as a cover guy down field. Same for Lewis. Our other safety has zero experience. not having Lee and LVE has destroyed our LB core.  Thomas had been okay but without Lee and LVR, Smith has been running around like a chicken with his head cut off.  The injury to McKay totally blew up the DL plans. Though I think ultimately Hill will be fine here.  

4. Bad bounces. Like today I still don’t understand how that was a hit to a defenseless receiver then the one where the Cleveland guy took out Schultz at the knees???    Though oddly our 1 win was due to a good bounce our way  which I guess says something as well.  


 

Good post. Let me go deeper on each point.

1. Against an offense with Landry and OBJ, the defensive gameplan was to utilize zero coverage and send as many rushers as possible far too often, utilizing a depleted CB group with DARYL FREAKING WORLEY man up on Beckham with NO SAFETY HELP behind him. That is terrible gameplanning and playcalling. The scheme here should have been to aid the weak secondary with deep safeties and linebackers assigned to help reroute the receivers into designated areas. 

2. Mental errors? More like complete stupidity. Players leaving assignments to attempt a play on their own. A hi lo route combination where both Cooper and Lamb each ran the high dig, causing a breakdown of a play. Chasing instead of playing defensively. Zeke easing grip on a ball thinking he is down, and easing it enough to be stripped of it. Zach Martin attacking the outside rusher on a 3 man front, completely ignoring the obvious rushing safety down the gap. Cooper cutting back in bounds with 3 minutes to go. Theres just too many to list.

3. Injuries happen. Good teams scheme to cover them and let bit players step in to play a small role enough to succeed. Bad teams shove poor depth into the same role as the starter, dont change the scheme to reflect it, and NEVER churn the bottom of the roster well enough to keep injuries from destroying their season.

4. You create your own luck. Sure, the zebras can make or break a.play. But why should 1 blown call be the scapegoat? What about the other 100 snaps in the game? You cant control the zebras. You can control your execution.

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18 hours ago, TVScout said:

Fire the defensive staff and go back to the 43.

This team still runs a 43 front. They simply run it an over or under way, in an attempt to better conceal the assignment of the linebackers and potentially cause blocking misques. But it is still a 43 front. This team does not have the personnel for a 34. 

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The original post in this thread is as comical as the headline "the team is worse than we think."  First, I don't know how bad "we" think the team is.  Me, Personally, I think the defense is the worst I've ever seen at the professional level.  How could a team really be worse than that?  IDK.  Second, the conclusion "Just about the only thing that has not been bad? The only star on this team that has not yet gotten paid. And that in itself is proof of much of a mess this team truly is," crosses the line of absurdity to settle home as purely delusional (assuming the "star who has not been paid is Dak).  Dak is making $31.4M this year.  This is more than Russell Wilson ($31M), Aaron Rodgers ($21M),  Tom Brady ($25M), etc.  https://overthecap.com/position/quarterback/2020/  So, the "star" who has not been paid is actually the highest paid qb in 2020.  

Now, how does that "star" compare to others in the most when it comes to TOs?  Dak has committed 6 TOs in 4 games. Russell Wilson has 2 TOs.  Aaron Rodgers has 0 TOs.  Carson Wentz has 8 TOs.  Daniel Jones has 7 TOs.  If Dak would stop turning the ball over... we would probably be 3-1 right now.  Here's the thing... we simply cannot turn the ball over.  As bad as the defense is... It is our offensive TOs that put us behind so much the past 2 weeks.  Many apologists want to give Dak a pass because he puts up pretty stats.  Those stats are coming because Dak is turning the ball over allowing other teams to abuse our defense and jump out to crazy leads.  Defenses then play to protect the lead in the 4th quarter.  So, "Coach" what exactly do you tell your teams about the importance of winning the turnover battle?  You tell its fine just as long as you put up nice stats in the 4th quarter?

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On 10/4/2020 at 6:02 PM, Dallas94Ware said:

Worse than we think? How is that possible?

The proof is in the tape. 

And it begins at the top.

McCarthy's track record of managing a game - those key decisions that juggle 4th down attempts, 2pt attempts, choices of running clock vs running up a score, etc - was as often criticized as Garrett's, if not more so. Yet this was the ballgame manager chosed to replace Garrett. And through 4 games, this team has more failed 4th down conversion attempts than it has turnovers. You stat guys that bring up nextgen analytics and PFF crap stats, let that sink in for a second. In 4 games why would any teamnhave that many attempts?

Then there is the game script.

Against a Cleveland defense that is horrendous on the edges vs the run and weak in the short passing game, the game plan script is what? Hammer the MIDDLE, throw it deep at the middle too. Did this staff watch film at all? Against an Atlanta offense that has had issues creating separation, you run that many zone defenses and allow those guys a chance to find holes in the zone? Again, did anyone watch film? Against a Rams offense that survived last season with an average record only after switching their system around to quick releases and short routes to mask Goffs weaknesses, this D is running blitzes and playing man-up off the line? Are you freaking kidding me? 

The players need to be held accountable, too.

Amari. All that money. Where are you hiding, that Cedrick Wilson steps his game up in a key rally opportunity? Why are you staying in bounds when we are working against the clock vs cleveland? How are you being pressed off your route every freaking time when you are one of the top paid men on this team? Lawrence. Mr. War Daddy. Four games, no sacks. Barely a blip on the radar in a quarter of a season. Struggling to break a block vs the run too? Come on, dude. I said it was terrible to sign you, but i really hoped you would proove me wrong and shove my words down my throat. Jaylon Smith, its your time to shine with all your running mates down. No, no, its fine, you can take bad angles and blow coverages if you like. It is totally fine, sure, you can ask for a breather on a key 3rd down passing play as our best cover backer and 2nd highest paid man in our front 7. Ugh. 

And the play design? It looks like someone spilled coffee on the playbook and the ink has run pretty badly.

Typically with a 3 wide, single set back formation, your Y man can motion freely to accomplish a few key things. First, help identify man vs zone. Second, create more favorable player matchups. Third, provide an extra blocker to the run side. Fourth, and this is a big one, work your slot guy in an area where his quickness in short areas can create problems for the defender in man coverage situations. What do we keep doing? Running stagnant, isolation routes from the inside with little motion. Ideally, with this much firepower on the outside, you can keep a tight end  for pass protection. What do we keep doing? Utilizing a blocking tight end on vertical based passing routes that allow this struggling OL to be exposed, and take targets away from your real playmakers. 

In a 1 on 1 defensive man coverage matchup, Diggs is tripped up and causes a blown coverage. Not by a receiver crossing his line of coverage, or even a safety venturing too close in anticipation. No, the blown coverage is caused by a linebacker in zone way too close to the outside of the field. What moron designs a deep halves man coverage play with linebackers in wide third zones? You are interfering with your corners. Idiocy in play design at its finest. Sad part? This playcall has been more prominent this week as we try to aid an injured CB group.

And you know what? It is not any one persons fault. It takes more than 1 person to make a team this bad. And make no mistake. Its bad.

I dont just say this because of a heartbreaking loss - ANYONE who remembers me from here before my health hiatus for 20 months knows that this old coach is often even keeled when it comes to wins and losses, and actually detest the over reacted sky is falling nonsense after a loss and the just as bad we are going to the SB sounding crap after a big win.

No, I say this solely because the tape does not lie. The coaching is bad. Game management has been bad. Play execution has been bad. Play calling has been bad. 

Just about the only thing that has not been bad? The only star on this team that has not yet gotten paid. And that in itself is proof of much of a mess this team truly is.

Okay, a quarter into the season, we are 1and 3 and I said from game 1 this coach sucks, he DOES NOT enforce fundamentals, and this rogue approach to coaching, going for it on 4th down all the time, playing fast and loose instead of playing smart will show up in the loss column.

And what was it someone wrote? "I find it hilarious you wrote: we paid for it with a loss."

Yeah? How hilarious is it now?

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