Dallas Cowboys: Will Scott Linehan make most of bye-week changes?
It’s funny how football works, isn’t it? Before the season began, having an early bye week would deny our team some rest before a playoff run. After injuries and bad backup quarterback play, the early bye was a blessing in disguise. Our Dallas Cowboys have used that bye week to make some changes.
I don’t know why guard La’el Collins wasn’t a day one starter. I’m a huge advocate of the youth movement, as long as a younger person isn’t taking MY job. Collins received a three year contract worth $1.65 million that was fully guaranteed. Ronald Leary has a one year deal worth $585,000. You usually don’t want the player with the larger contract sitting on the bench (with the exception of running backs Lance Dunbar vs Joseph Randle).
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The biggest advantage for Collins is his health. Leary’s left knee has osteochondritis dissecans or OCD. He also had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in the same knee. He’s also had back issues and he’s a restricted free agent at the end of this year. For that reason, I support the younger, healthier guy with the longer contract. Of course, there’s talk about disrupting chemistry on the offensive line and rookie inexperience.
Anybody remember those worries when Travis Frederick and Zach Martin became day one starters? I don’t either. Collins joined the team early in the off-season, has some in-game experience and was a first round talent. The only time I worry is when Mackenzy Bernadeau plays guard. Collins was an upgrade when he got drafted and this move is long overdue.
Other big changes include Matt Cassel as our starting quarterback and the return of receiver Dez Bryant. My fellow Landry Hat writer, Matthew Conner asks – Will Dez Bryant’s return make an immediate impact? My immediate answer is – Yes. But overall, Cassel and this offense needs play-calling help from offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
Collins will be an upgrade over Leary but let’s watch to see if the Cowboys add counter runs to their recently ineffective stretch plays. It will be interesting the moment Collins springs from the line and runs around Frederick, Martin, Doug Free and Jason Witten, pancaking a New York Giants’ linebacker to spring running back Christine Michael for a big run.
Dez Bryant will make an impact if he runs downfield at full speed. He makes an impact on defenses, even as a decoy because he commands respect from opposing defenses. On the Cowboys first offensive possession, throw a quick slant or wide receiver screen to Bryant and the offense should have it’s way with the Giants defense.
As for Cassel, he has my full support even though I think Kellen Moore is, will be and should be the man (while Tony Romo is injured). We all know Cassel is a veteran but he could be helped by every quarterback’s best friend. That best friend could be a strong offensive line or a quality running game, but in this case, I’m looking at the tight ends.
Besides Witten, our tight ends have virtually disappeared. Geoff Swaim only played against the New England Patriots. James Hanna was out against the Patriots with an ankle injury. Witten’s has injuries, but even if that tough son of a gun was dead, he’d still be listed as probable.
TE Production During 3 Game Losing Streak | |||
| Player | Rec | Yards | TD’s |
| Jason Witten | 15 | 155 | 0 |
| Gavin Escobar | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| James Hanna | 1 | 7 | 0 |
| Geoff Swaim | 0 | 0 | 0 |
I get flack for questioning Linehan, but tight ends are a quarterback’s best friend. They should be heavily involved in the offense and I blame Linehan for that. If our receivers aren’t getting open, move away from the spread and use more bunch formations to help them get a free release from the line of scrimmage. I blame Linehan for that. The Patriots and Denver Broncos are using rubs effectively to get receivers open against man coverage. Where are our rubs? I blame Linehan for that. The New Orleans Saints scored by running Mark Ingram behind a jumbo offensive line package. I’ve been calling for our – Triple Meat Whataburger – combo package to jumpstart the running game and you guessed it. I blame Linehan for that.
The Cowboys finished 12 – 4 last season and as a fan and member of #CowboyNation, I can’t wait to see them do more. I love their years of experience but I remember Garrett was recently a .500 coach and Linehan (St. Louis Rams) and Marinelli (Detroit Lions) were woefully worse as head coaches. Marinelli took our draft picks for wide receiver Roy Williams in 2008 and was the last coach that failed to win a regular season game.
Cowboys Win – Loss Records as Head Coaches | |||
| Name | Wins | Losses | Pct |
| Jason Garrett | 43 | 34 | 0.558 |
| Scott Linehan | 11 | 25 | 0.306 |
| Rod Marinelli | 10 | 38 | 0.208 |
I will give Linehan credit this season for putting Bryant in the slot and shifting Escobar to the outside wide receiver position. When I call for offensive sprinkles, it’s not about trick plays but creating favorable matchups. It’s also about seeing what’s effective around the league and implementing it into our offense. Remember, we did try the wildcat!
Each week, just do one thing that makes a defensive coordinator call timeout because we’re about to do something unexpected. It’s a division opponent in a tight race, start with a pass or play-action pass on the first offensive possession and keep them guessing until we exit with the W.
#GoCowboys
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