Dallas Cowboys Balanced Two-Headed Ground Attack

In the age of bell cow running backs, the Dallas Cowboys combo of Ezekiel Elliott and Alfred Morris could be an insane one-two punch.

Three games into this season, the Dallas Cowboys are ranked 11^th in scoring with a total of 77 points. After a pass heavy game in Week 1 against the New York Giants, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan has given fans a balanced offensive attack and reduced quarterback Dak Prescott‘s passing attempts. Following the Seattle Seahawks blueprint that helped quarterback Russell Wilson lead his team to two Super Bowls, Prescott appeared to do more while doing less.

The Cowboys’ balanced attack is still leaving meat on the bone. It’s sounds strange to say this because I’m always a huge advocate of – YSF – which means Younger, Stronger, Faster. I can’t ignore the fact that there’s so much untapped potential with a two-headed rushing attack. It’s not a knock against running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Unlike safety Byron Jones, who gave up two touchdowns and a fourth down conversion against the Bears, Elliott is everything a first round pick is supposed to be. In space, Elliott fluidly glides across the turf like an Olympic ice skater. We are showing off our new Ferrari, but we also have a classic Mustang sitting in the garage.

That mustang is Alfred Morris who looks fantastic in his Cowboys uniform. Seeing Morris run on the field is a display of that – technical mastery – owner Jerry Jones mentioned last season. He runs with patience, has great feet in traffic and is excellent between the tackles.

It won’t make the highlights but on one rushing play for Morris, it didn’t look like much running room was available. Morris hit the left side of the line, got small and picked up three yards. It was just beautiful to watch.

In the age of bell cow running backs, Elliott and Morris could be an insane one-two punch. Linehan hasn’t scratched the potential of this duo. I’m not calling for Morris to be the featured back. One look at the money shows why Elliott gets the lion’s share of carries.

The stats are missing Prescott’s 7 runs/scrambles from the first three games of this season. With Morris on a two-year deal at the age of 28, he’s experienced and qualified enough to get at least 35 – 40% of the rushing attempts. That’s enough to make him a solid contributor to our Super Bowl run for this year.

We will also be keeping “some tread on the tires” if the front office decides Morris should return next year. There’s an old saying – If you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one – but that doesn’t apply to running backs.

Next: Dallas Cowboys must avoid trap, attack overmatched 49ers

Having Morris get more carries shouldn’t cause a running back controversy. At 21, Elliott has plenty of time to get 392 rushing attempts like DeMarco Murray did in 2014. With Morris available, it isn’t necessary just yet. There’s enough room for both Elliott and Morris to shine in Dallas. This team will be better for it.

#GoCowboys

Find me at Facebook.com/CowboysRob