Cowboy Woes in All 3 Phases

The Dallas Cowboys had and currently have problems in all 3 phases of the game.  The biggest problem is that these issues have loomed over the Cowboys for almost a decade.  Head coach Jason Garrett has not managed to figure out how to make all phases of the game click at the same time.  Can anyone tell me if this makes sense?

Below is a breakdown of the Cowboys problematic phases:

Offense

#77 - Tyron Smith

One Year the offense can run the ball and the next year they cannot.  So far in the 2012 season, the Boys have had trouble running the ball due to an offensive line with no consistency.  There are two new starters at left and right guard and two tackles playing opposite positions.  First round pick in 2011, Tyron Smith from USC, moved from the right side over to the left side to protect Tony Romo’s blind side.  While Smith moved from the right to the left, Doug Free moves from the left to the right side.

• Running Game

The running game has been next to nothing in the 2012 season.  In the off- season, the Cowboys hired Offensive Coordinator, Bill Callahan.  Head Coach, Jason Garrett, stated he will still call all of the plays.  Callahan was only brought in to coach the offensive line.  There has not been a threatening running back (RB) for the Boys since
Emmitt Smith.  There have been players to come in and call themselves running backs, but football fans don’t even remembers these guys. 

I don’t mean to disrespect these players, because I think it has a lot to do with the coaching or poor coaching to contribute to this.  According to Pro Football Reference.com, Emmitt's last season with the Cowboys was in 2002.  Since Emmitt’s release, the Boys would have RBs Julius Jones, Marion Barber, Felix Jones, and now Demarco Murray as their primary backs.  Each RB has started their careers in a phenomenal fashion and then slowed down somehow after the second season due to injury or just not playing well.  Either way it has been a non-factor for the Cowboys.  

• Passing Game

#9 - Tony Romo

If Romo throws a good pass, the receiver drops it.  When a receiver is wide open, Romo makes a bad throw.  When a timing route is run and the receiver runs a bad route, Romo passes the ball anyway because it is a timing route.  Most of the time Romo’s pass is intercepted on incorrect routes run by the wide receivers. 

With all of these passing blunders, the passing game currently ranks 3rd in the league, according to NFL.com, but stats don't seem to matter for the Cowboys.  The problem is trying to gets victories.

Defense

#39 - Brandon Carr

For years the defense had trouble stopping the pass and then the Boys go and find two cornerbacks (CB) to build their defense around.  Brandon Carr was the first CB coveted through free agency.  The Boys signed Carr for $55 million over four years.  The Boys liked what they saw when Carr played as the #2 CB in Kansas City for 4 years.

#24 - Morris Claiborne

The Cowboys second choice at CB was schemed through the draft when they chose Morris Claiborne out of Louisiana State University.  The Cowboys plotted to get Claiborne as they chose him 6^th overall in the 2012 draft.

The 2012 Cowboys defense ranks 5th statistically, according to NFL.  This team can give all of their credit to Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan.  Ryan has transformed this defense into a team they really want.

• Defending the Run

The one area where the Cowboys have tremendous success is defending the run.  Over the last several years, the Boys have been very successful against the run.  They currently rank 15^th in the league out of 32 teams, so that is mediocre but that is the only constant to remain steady for this team.

• Defending the Pass

The Cowboys had a serious weakness against the pass for several years, especially since Safety Darren Woodson left the team.  The Boys have replaced Woodson with Roy Williams and a few others but none have compared.  Age caught up to the Boys at CB, but as I stated earlier, they took care of that.  Dallas seriously needs to look into the Free Safety position again to see if they can find a jewel somewhere. 

Right now, Gerald Sensabaugh is playing Ok, but not at a play making level.  Watch out for Barry Church who won the starting job at Strong Safety this offseason. Church was lost for the season against Tampa Bay, but the left over safeties had covered pretty well under Ryan’s coaching.  Ryan has done a masterful job filling holes where needed.

Special Teams

#21 - Deion Sanders

In my opinion, the Special Teams for the Dallas Cowboys has been horrendous.  Absolutely horrendous!  The Boys have been missing a true punt and kick return player since Deion Sanders left the team back in 1999, according to Pro Football Reference.com.

#23 - Devin Hester

Now I understand not everyone can be a Deion Sanders or a Devin Hester of the Chicago Bears, but there should be a Robert, Ken, or a Dexter playing for a university that can actually help the Cowboys.  Maybe the Boys already have the guy, but Garrett cannot find him.  I have noticed Garrett does not like to use his roster like Defensive Coordinator, Rob Ryan does.

The only special teams success the Boys have is field goal kicker Dan Bailey out of Oklahoma State University.  Things have turned around in the kicking game since he arrived in 2011.

What's the real issue?

It basically boils down to this….everyone wants to blame Romo for the team losing no matter what.  The QB gets the glory when the team wins, so he will also be the scapegoat when the team loses. 

Week after week, after week, the Boys have more than 10 penalties.  The crazy thing about is that no one is being held accountable for their actions.  Coach Garrett holds no one accountable for their mistakes.  No one.  No one gets benched, no one gets yelled at….is anyone scolded or embarrassed at practice?

Atlanta Falcons 19-13 loss summary

Halfway through the 2012 season, the Boys are 3-5.  The Cowboys loss to the Atlanta Falcons 19-13 sent a message that Jason Garrett may only be coordinator material and not head coach worthy.  The season is still not over, but it is hard to see the offensive players respecting Garrett’s play calling ability. 

For 60 minutes of football against the Falcons, Garrett’s offense moved at snails pace due to play calling or coaching.  The only time fans saw the Boys offense provide tempo was after the Falcons scored the first touchdown of the game in the 4^th quarter.  When the Falcons scored another 3 points to go up 16 – 6, the Boys felt desperate.  What did they do….drive right down the field for 78 yards on 6 plays.  The Boys did on that drive what they could not do all night long.  They went up tempo.

Some of the sports media has some advice for Garrett and his playcalling, like the Tweet from ESPN’s Rick Reilly…