It looks like Brian Schottenheimer's offense will feature something that will make Dak Prescott's life much easier
When Brian Schottenheimer talked about his offense in January while being introduced as the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he said something that caused skepticism. He talked about wanting to use pre-snap motions and shifts. Fans and media members had good reason to be skeptical. Previous coaches had said the same and while motion was […]
When Brian Schottenheimer talked about his offense in January while being introduced as the next head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, he said something that caused skepticism.
He talked about wanting to use pre-snap motions and shifts.
Fans and media members had good reason to be skeptical. Previous coaches had said the same and while motion was indeed used by the Cowboys here and there, they never ranked at the top of the NFL in usage of it and they also didn't use it for all that it works for.
Though training camp is only getting started and pads haven't even come on, there's reason to believe Schottenheimer's offense will indeed major in the art and science that is pre-snap motion.
Cowboys using motion at a very high rate
"I feel like 92% of the time there was some sort of shift and motion," analyst Voch Lombardi said on YouTube. "No matter what the formation was, personnel group was."
Now granted, Lombardi's comment was made after just one day of practice. It could very well be that's what the Cowboys happened to be working on that day. But for every offensive look to include some motion is a very promising sign that Schottenheimer is prioritizing it on his offense. Pre-snap motion has become one of the most effective tools of modern NFL offenses.
"I don't like to play static," Schottenheimer said Wednesday ahead of the team's second practice. "Being static as an offense makes it easy on the defense. [. . .] When you shift or change the picture, or you motion, it helps disguise that a little bit and makes (the defense) adjust."
What's even more promising is how they're using it.
Cowboys' use of motion is about more than identifying coverages
When it comes to motion, it can happen before the snap or at the snap. These two are usually bundled together as "pre-snap motion" but they're quite different. In the opening practice, we saw both. What's promising about that is that the Cowboys are not only doing it to identify coverage but also to manipulate leverage in the passing game and scheme receivers open. Take the play below as an example.
Pickens lines up as the outside receiver (No. 1 from the outside in) and with CeeDee Lamb motioning to his side, he essentially becomes the slot receiver at the snap. Meanwhile, Lamb "replaces" him as the No. 1 running a flat route. That stresses the defense in more than one way.
On one hand, the secondary needs to adjust responsibilities on the fly because the picture changes right at the snap. On the other, it becomes easier to gain leverage.
All of this translates into a cleaner picture for Dak Prescott and more "easy buttons" to press. While Prescott is known to be a quarterback who can go through his progressions efficiently, there's no problem in giving him easier reads from time to time.
Let's see if motion keeps being a theme for the Cowboys' training camp.
