Cowboys: Jerry Jones made too much sense offering evolved view of offense
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has often been criticized and for good reason. There are many negative things to point out about how the front office operates; from their free agency and trade approach to their presumed meddling with the football operations. On the latter, one thing fans have speculated about for years now is whether […]
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has often been criticized and for good reason. There are many negative things to point out about how the front office operates; from their free agency and trade approach to their presumed meddling with the football operations.
On the latter, one thing fans have speculated about for years now is whether this front office asks its coaches to prioritize running the football.
That's why on Friday, some of us were caught off-balance when Jerry Jones made too much sense when discussing the team's offensive approach.
"I have felt and do feel that we need to throw the ball and get our running game going by throwing the ball," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "If (defenses) are gonna load up, if they’re really gonna put that kind of emphasis on our running game. I think that’s there. The point is, the way Dak is playing, we’ll have to take what they give us, and that’s not bad."
Throwing to open up the run game? Suggesting Dak Prescott's game must be the feature of the offense? Oh, yeah, we're cooking now. You've got to understand, this is NOT the way the Cowboys have expressed themselves about offensive football.
For years, the Cowboys' old-school mindset has centered around time of possession and establishing the run, two mentalities that have been proven meaningless time and time again by advanced research.
Just last year, Jones claimed they wanted "to stay on that ground a little more than we have in the past." In 2018, he said the Cowboys were going to set the passing game up with the running game, the opposite of his quote above.
So you can understand when I get excited about the owner of this team changing his tune. It means good things for the Cowboys offense.
Just take the last three games for example. Since Week 6, Dak Prescott leads the NFL in quarterback efficiency and he commands the second-best offense in the league, per EPA/play via RBSDM.
Compare that to a malfunctioning running game which is 25th in EPA/play in early downs over the same span. If you know you're unlikely to be successful pounding the rock in first and second down, why let your strength be a factor until it's third-and-long? Instead, let Prescott sling it early and often.
If you ask me, someone has convinced Jerry Jones about this all. Whether it's Mike McCarthy or the Cowboys' recently-built dream team of an analytics department, they're seemingly doing a great job. Part of their endeavor is tying their findings to what the coaching staff and front office want to do.
Judging by Jones' quote, the Cowboys are a pass-first team. And we're here for it. If they're to go on a run, let it be at the hands of Dak, who's got something special going on with his top playmaker, CeeDee Lamb.
