Dallas Cowboys offense needs to help out the D

It’s time for the Dallas Cowboys offense to do their part.

In preparation for last week’s win over the Washington Redskins, I pointed out that the Dallas Cowboys need to start doing everything differently. Obviously, the record is not what any Cowboys fan could have possibly expected, but the matter in which this team has earned that record was of the utmost concern.

Lo and behold, the defense did exactly that. Relentlessly, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli sent blitz after blitz aimed directly at Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins and, as a result, Dallas was able to hand Washington their first home loss.

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This week, it’s the offense’s turn to choose a new path.

Going into last Monday’s night game, the offense had been responsible for some of the most putrid numbers we’ve seen around these parts in quite some time.

Unfortunately, nothing really improved in that regard.

Dallas dropped two spots in red zone touchdown scoring percentage and is now 28th in the league. They also dropped a slot in passing yards, currently sitting at 28th in that statistic as well.

Sadly, by scoring 19 points, they actually were capable of slightly bringing up their points per game over the season, maintaining their spot as one of four lowest scoring teams in 2015.

So while the defense more than did their part to produce a win, the offense continued to stall time after time.

It’s time for that change.

The obvious move would be to replace starting quarterback Matt Cassel. Watching him orchestrate this offense is equivalent to letting a four-year-old run wild with some crayons in the Louvre.

In his five starts, the leading receiver for each game has been someone completely different. Aside from the game against Philadelphia, when Cassel used his weapons on the perimeter appropriately, none of the four leaders in yardage have eclipsed 80 yards in one game.

To put that in perspective, nine different players have had an 80+ yard catch at some point this season. Meanwhile, with Cassel at the helm, four different receivers were not capable of having 80 yards in a game.

Dissecting his play, it seems like Cassel is either incapable of understanding how to progress through his reads or he’s too scared to wait the extra two seconds a quarterback needs to in order to let plays develop.

On at least two separate occasions on Monday night, had he just exhibited a minuscule amount of extra patience, wide receiver Dez Bryant would have had two easy big plays for touchdown. Instead, Cassel chose the wrong option both times and failed to even complete the pass.

Since the organization refuses to pull the plug on this excruciating experiment, then it’s time to go with a different approach.

In order for the Cowboys to have a chance to beat the Packers on the road this weekend, they need to let Cassel to do his best impression of former Green Bay legend Brett Favre.

Let Cassel sling it.

Early. Often. Ready, aim fire. Over and over again.

Cole Beasley and Bryant need at least ten targets each. I don’t care if Dez is double covered. Throw him the damn ball.

Last week, on several different plays, Bryant was being shadowed by a guy who used to be a receiver. Time after time, Cassel didn’t even bother to look in his general direction. When in the history of football has a backup not fed his main threat?

This absurdity needs to cease. Let Bryant be the dynamic playmaker he is. It can only serve to light a fire under this offense.

As for Beasley, he may not be an elite talent like Bryant, but he is a mismatch for just about anyone who is put on him in the slot.

In the rematch versus Philadelphia, the Cowboys scored 27 points, Beasley had over 100 yards and Dallas nearly won. In the other four games Cassel started, Beasley has seven targets, resulting in just one catch for eight yards.

That’s beyond stupid.

Don’t kid yourself either. Teams aren’t taking Beasley away. Cassel just isn’t looking his way.

Bryant’s numbers aren’t that much better. Again, removing the game against Philadelphia when he was able to get 100+ yards and a score, Dez has just 15 catches for 167 yards and 0 touchdowns. For some perspective, Bryant has eight career games where he totaled more than 140 yards.

Maybe letting Cassel throw it all over the place results in a few mistakes. Maybe it gives him some sort of confidence and he flourishes.

What’s the harm in trying?

You’re not going head-to-head opposite Aaron Rodgers and coming away successful by dinking and dunking your way down the field all day long.

Last week, an uncomfortable and aggressive approach resulted in the first win all year without Tony Romo. Why not roll the dice again this week and see what happens?

Next: Should the Cowboys replace Jason Garrett with Sean Payton?

After all, at 4-8, to even be in the discussion for a playoff spot, the Cowboys are playing with house money. Neither of the other NFC East members have a freebie this week either.

Let it fly.

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