Super Bowl winning quarterback breaks down ridiculous Cowboys play that barely makes any sense
The Dallas Cowboys have countless issues. They're not executing, game plans and play-calling are questionable, the roster isn't great, and the quarterback is giving the ball away. But the more you dig into the details, the more head-scratching problems you're bound to find. Just ask Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner, who took to Twitter/X to share […]
The Dallas Cowboys have countless issues. They're not executing, game plans and play-calling are questionable, the roster isn't great, and the quarterback is giving the ball away.
But the more you dig into the details, the more head-scratching problems you're bound to find. Just ask Super Bowl-winning quarterback Kurt Warner, who took to Twitter/X to share a particular play that doesn't make a lot of sense.
Specifically, Warner is talking about a pre-snap sequence in which the Cowboys are using the silent count to deal with the noise at Levi's Stadium on last Sunday's 30-24 loss in Santa Clara.
As Warner explains it in the video below, there are several ways of doing the silent count, which is an alternative to using the quarterback's cadence in loud environments. Last weekend got pretty loud as the Niners tried to hold off the Cowboys from a last-minute comeback.
A common way to do it is to have the center look beneath his legs at the quarterback, who usually lifts his leg or does something, at which point the center looks back up, performs a mental count, and snaps the ball. The offensive line is aware of the count in question and is going off of the center's motion when he pops his head back up. Counts and looks can be adjusted.
Additionally, there are offenses that utilize the guards, who look back instead of the center, and tap the center once the QB is ready.
But there was a weird moment on Sunday when both Cowboys center Cooper Beebe and right guard Zack Martin look underneath their legs to get a glimpse of Dak. It should be noted Martin isn't tapping Beebe, however, which probably means he's not responsible to alert the center.
By looking back at Dak, Martin is late to get into his stance as he's got his head down at the snap. That gets him beaten by the 49ers DT, who pressures Prescott on the play.
"The offensive guard has put his head down and is looking between his legs at the quarterback lifting his leg and in doing so, he's late because the center's already seen it and the right guard is late getting off the ball because his head is down," explains Warner on the video above. "There's all kinds of issues up front with who they're blocking, I've never seen this before."
Not being on the meeting room makes it tough to know for sure what happened on this play, but it goes to show the Cowboys offense simply isn't on the same page. Headlines make it all about Prescott and CeeDee Lamb when it comes to the missing chemistry but it's evident in the trenches as well.
There's no apparent reason for Beebe and Martin to duck their heads beneath their legs at the same time. As players have said, details must improve and this is a prime example.
It's just the one play, but it's particularly rough for these things to be happening even after a full bye week. The Cowboys are running out of time and they've got to nip these issues in the bud.
