The Dallas Cowboys remix offensive line magic with new coach
Heading into NFL Championship weekend, the Dallas Cowboys nab offensive line guru in Paul Alexander. Can this guy remix the magic at the front line?
The Dallas Cowboys took a big step in revamping their offensive line, and I love it.
Coach Paul Alexander joins the Cowboys, after Frank Pollack joined the Bengals to coach up their front line. Essentially, the two coaches swapped places, but it’s Alexander who inherits the better package.
Alexander, who coached with the Bengals since 1995, is in charge of mixing up the Cowboys’ greatest asset — the offensive line. I don’t know about you, but I feel this signing may be the single most important signing for the Cowboys in several years.
Not only are the Cowboys focused on the power players upfront, but this focus is a re-commitment to quarterback Dak Prescott.
Despite a quarterback rating of 86.6 in 2017, Prescott tossed nine more interceptions than his rookie year, and ate seven more sacks. Sure, not having Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield placed more duties on his lap, but let’s face it — the front line lost some of the magic mix in 2017.
In order for the Dak Prescott to get better, he’ll need the line to be optimal and healthy. That’s where Alexander pops in. After Prescott got booted around and shook up by the Atlanta Falcons in week 10, the quarterback’s composure was tested from that point on.
The quarterback did worse when the Cowboys fell behind. Prescott had four touchdowns to nine interceptions, with a quarterback rating of 67.7 when the Cowboys were losing on the scoreboard.
He also took 17 of his 32 sacks when the ‘Boys were behind on the score cards. The pass protection failed Prescott when he needed them most, and overall, the collapse doomed the Cowboys in 2017.
Regardless of injuries, the coaches should make the best with what they got in the cabinet. Unfortunately, when Tyron Smith was in and out of the lineup, the Cowboys were lost in the stars.
Sure, you can blame this on poor drafting and depth choices, but either way, Alexander has to figure out how to get the best miles out of the players, regardless of the roster choices.
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In order to get back into playoff contention, the winning culture starts with guys named Travis Frederick, Tyron Smith, and Zack Martin. The Cowboys remixed the front line by starting La’el Collins from guard to right tackle, and Jonathan Cooper joined forces at the left guard spot.
There’s no question this mix up re-tuned how the Cowboys played upfront. And now, the re-tune needs a tune-up. Welcome to the Cowboys, Mr. Alexander. We are watching.