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Cowboys en Español: La Dolorosa Realidad de la Ofensiva de Cowboys

Mauricio Rodriguez



Sean's Scout: Prescott's Improvements, Front Seven Form Stand Out Vs Chiefs 1

Parece que fue ayer cuando los Dallas Cowboys comenzaron una nueva era en la franquicia, diciéndole adiós a una carrera del quarterback más polémico en los últimos 15 años, Tony Romo. Esta decisión vino  tras una actuación bastante impresionante en las primeras semanas de la temporada 2016, cuando el novato Dak Prescott se ganó el trabajo tras llevar a su equipo a un récord de 8-1 durante la ausencia de Romo.

Fue un año divertido para todos los aficionados del equipo, y el liderazgo de dos novatos, incluyendo al RB Ezekiel Elliott. Ambos nos hicieron disfrutar una ofensiva divertida, dominante y que nos hizo sentirnos muy cómodos con el futuro de la ofensiva en Dallas.

"Esto apenas comienza" decíamos, convencidos por completo que la racha de estos jóvenes continuaría. Dos años después, nos damos cuenta de lo equivocados que estábamos. Tras una decepcionante campaña en el 2017 y tres actuaciones en el 2018, nos enfrentamos a las doloras realidades que se viven en la ofensiva de los Dallas Cowboys. Hablemos al respecto.

Primero que nada, abordaré unos temas que parecen relevantes pero que será mejor quitarlos del camino lo más pronto posible. Primero está la discusión de que haberle regresado a Tony Romo la titularidad en el 2016 hubiera sido lo correcto.

En retrospectiva es muy fácil pensar esto. Sin embargo, no fue una mala decisión tomar la ruta de Prescott en el 2016. Romo no se había podido mantener sano en toda su carrera, y no había jugado constantemente desde el 2014. Era tiempo de salir adelante. A pesar de sus recientes comentarios en los que dijo que él estaba sano y que hubiera podido seguir jugando, seguramente pensábamos lo mismo antes del 2015... y antes del 2016. Ambos años en los que estuvo fuera del campo por lesiones desafortunadas.

3 Quick Fixes to Jumpstart Cowboys Anemic Offense 3

Dallas Cowboys HC Jason Garrett, OC Scott Linehan, QB Dak Prescott (Matthew Emmons / USA TODAY Sports)

Si bien Dak Prescott probablemente no llegará a tener el nivel de juego que tuvo Romo, no es hora de descartarlo como opción para el futuro. El quarterback de los Cowboys no ha jugado bien este año, y eso tiene que cambiar. No es un Aaron Rodgers, ni un Tom Brady. Su juego tiene bastantes defectos y tiene muchísimas áreas de oportunidad. Es cierto que Prescott no es un mariscal en el cuál puedas basar todo tu plan ofensivo y que pueda cargar por su cuenta a su equipo a la victoria. Necesita apoyo.

En el 2016, Jason Garrett fue nombrado el coach del año de la NFL y a pesar del gran descontento de la afición hacia el entrenador del equipo, ese año en específico, lo merecía. Los Dallas Cowboys hicieron un maravilloso trabajo puliendo y simplificando el playbook para explotar el talento disponible en la ofensiva. Le dieron las herramientas a Dak Prescott para que manejara una ofensiva simplificada.

El gran error en de los coaches vino después, cuando la ofensiva no evolucionó. Una ofensiva que debe explotar las jugadas "play action" y la movilidad de Prescott no ha sido explotada por el coordinador ofensivo Scott Linehan.

Eventualmente, se tendrá que evaluar la posición y los Cowboys tendrán que decidir que rumbo se tomará. ¿Se quedarán con Prescott, irán por un veterano o seleccionarán a un novato en el NFL Draft? No lo sabemos, y por ahora, no importa.

Por hoy, se trata de poner a Dak Prescott en la mejor posición posible para ganar partidos. Esta semana, Linehan mencionó que la ofensiva haría cosas que no hemos visto y francamente, ojalá sea el caso. Es hora de que los Dallas Cowboys enciendan una chispa en una ofensiva que no ha podido producir después de tres semanas de la temporada 2018.

La línea ofensiva tiene que darle más tiempo a Prescott, este último tiene que mantenerse calmado, los receptores tienen que desmarcarse... y Scott Linehan tiene que ir más allá de sets con tres tight ends y pases pantallas en tercer down y largo.

Sin duda alguna, es imposible apuntarle el dedo a sólo un jugador o sólo un coach. Cuando una ofensiva tiene los problemas que Dallas está teniendo ahora, es por más de un factor. Si esto continua, la administración de los Jones tendrá que tomar medidas al respecto.

Dak Prescott es un mariscal joven y merece, en mi opinión, la oportunidad de trabajar con otros coaches antes de que se tome una decisión sobre su futuro. Hay medidas que tomar en Dallas, y muchos miembros de la organización están peleando por su trabajo.

La siguiente prueba será recibir a los Detroit Lions, un equipo casi igual de inconsistente que los Cowboys. Será un duelo interesante en el AT&T Stadium y uno que considero se lo puede llevar el equipo de casa. Es uno de los partidos más difíciles de pronosticar en la semana, pero la defensiva de Rod Marinelli (de Kris Richard, guiño, guiño) se llevará la victoria.

Pronóstico: Lions 13 - Cowboys 17

Tell me what you think about "Cowboys en Español: La Dolorosa Realidad de la Ofensiva de Cowboys" in the comments below, or tweet me @MauNFL and let’s talk football! If you like football and are looking for a Dallas Cowboys show in Spanish, don’t miss my weekly Facebook Live! show, Primero Cowboys!



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Maliek Collins on the Verge of a Breakout Season

Matthew Lenix



Maliek Collins on the Verge of a Breakout Season

Maliek Collins has never lacked any ability on the field just the ability to stay on it. Foot and knee injuries have always seemed to get in the way when he's been on the brink of reaching his potential.

2019 is a contract year for Collins which means it's the most critical season of his young career. He hasn't wasted any time, though, showing what he's capable of when he doesn't have any physical limitations.

John Owning on Twitter

Maliek Collins beats Connor William's with a swim move in 2v2s

In the first video above, Collins gets a great burst off the line of scrimmage while he simultaneously gets his hands on Connor Williams first. He controls and pushes him right into Dak Prescott's face, forcing a throw out of bounds. On the next video, he again explodes off the ball and uses a great swim move to beat Williams again in 2 on 2 drills.

His dominance hasn't been limited to training camp practice, however, as evident in his performance this past Saturday in albeit a short amount of action.

These next two plays stand out for me specifically. In the first, he uses a very physical spin move that knocks the left guard off balance and puts him right in the quarterback's face. In a league that focuses on quarterbacks getting the ball out quickly, the sooner you can provide pressure from the interior the harder it is for a quarterback to stay in the pocket and throw effectively. In the next play, he utilizes a swim move after a quick jump off the line and is right in the face of the runner as he and Jaylon Smith combine for a TFL (tackle for loss).

John Owning on Twitter

Beautiful TFL for Maliek Collins. Swims inside the LG on the zone concept to get penetration. Quickly flattens, latches onto Henderson's jersey and drags him to the ground. Outstanding grip strength #Cowboys.

Collins performing at a high level in 2019 doesn't just benefit him but also rookie Defensive Tackle Trysten Hill. While he's still acquiring the tools needed for the pro level under the guidance of Defensive Coordinator Rod Marinelli he can watch and learn from Collins as he'll be right behind him as the team's backup 3-technique defensive tackle. Hill is probably still a year away from being a big contributor with Collins looking so refreshed and healthy so this is a great time to gain all the knowledge he can from a veteran. If that learning process comes along quickly, the Cowboys will have a very solid one-two punch alongside Antwaun Woods, the starter at the 1-technique.

Health, at least so far, seems to be on the side of Maliek Collins heading into the 2019 season, which is all he's ever lacked. Motivated by the opportunity to maximize his dollars for 2020, and a rookie being drafted at the same position, I look for Collins to not only have a breakout year but one that could garner a pro bowl nod, or at least be heavy in the conversation, which would mean great things for the Cowboys defensive front.

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Cowboys Nation Mailbag: What about Taco Charlton and Ezekiel Elliott?

John Williams



Cowboys en Español: El Reto VS Texans, Porque Bryant No Volverá

The 2019 regular season is now less than three weeks away and now is the time when we start getting down to the nitty-gritty. The "dress rehearsal" game is coming this Saturday as the Dallas Cowboys take on the Houston Texans and a lot of the 53-man roster will likely be decided after that game.

As we inch closer to the regular season, the contract status for the Dallas Cowboys' newest version of the triplets and the construction of the 53-man roster will have even greater emphasis in the news.

Thanks for your questions this week. Let's did into this week's Cowboys Nation Mailbag.

I guess it depends on what segment of Cowboys Twitter you're talking about.

Contract situations and hold outs always create some tension within the fanbase. They expect players to show up for work as they do. You hear people talk about Elliott fulfilling the agreement of his contract. But what people don't understand is that rookie contracts and the rookie salary scale was negotiated by players already in the league to avoid rookies making Sam Bradford type money. The veterans and to some extent the owners didn't like the idea that rookies could hold out of training camp to negotiate their first contract.

So, when Ezekiel Elliott was drafted fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, he was locked into a contract length (including a team option for a fifth season) and a salary and bonus for the length of that contract.

The other thing to consider is that Elliott is doing exactly what the collective bargaining agreement allows him to do. Though the Dallas Cowboys can fine him, Elliott is permitted by the CBA to seek a contract extension after the third season of his rookie contract, just like you saw Michael Thomas of the New Orleans Saints do earlier this summer.

I get that fans are frustrated by the idea of a player "not honoring his contract," but in the NFL, that's the way football goes. The owners don't always honor the contracts they've agreed to, cutting a player with guaranteed money left on his deal because his play might have dropped off or simply because he doesn't warrant the cap hit.

But as Mike Leslie of WFAA recently pointed out on Twitter, our jobs aren't like NFL jobs.

There are a lot of folks that understand that there is a business side to all of this. The players, the coaches, and a large segment of Cowboys Nation all understand where Ezekiel Elliott is coming from. Even the "running backs don't matter" truthers aren't throwing Ezekiel Elliott under the bus for holding out for a new contract.

As I've said before, don't get mad at Ezekiel Elliott or even the Dallas Cowboys for the current state of his contract negotiations. Get mad at the Los Angeles Rams for setting a precedent that Ezekiel Elliott is attempting to take advantage of.

Ezekiel Elliott is only doing what's permitted by the CBA. Though the negotiations continue to drag on, there's still three weeks left till the start of the regular season, which is plenty of time to get a deal done.

Until this holdout lasts until the regular season, you shouldn't worry.

Taco Charlton has done some nice things in the preseason thus far. He's been able to create pressure, and by Bobby Belt's splash metric, Taco Charlton is leading the team.

Obviously, this isn't the only way to evaluate talent, but it does give an indication that Taco Charlton has been good this preseason. I've long believed that Taco was going to make the 53-man roster for the sheer fact that he was a first-round draft pick. That may not be a good enough reason for some, but he's a player that the Dallas Cowboys won't give up on lightly. He's doing enough at this point in the preseason to warrant another year.

Cutting Taco Charlton in 2019 actually costs you money. It would cost the Dallas Cowboys roughly $3.5 million in 2019,  but they could save $1.3 million in 2020. It's not likely that the Cowboys will pick up his fifth-year rookie option, which would be for 2021. Financially, the only move that would make sense is a trade, which would cost the Dallas Cowboys only $1.3 million in dead money.

While I think Taco Charlton is a player that is destined for the 53-man roster, with reports that DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford are about to be activated from the physically unable to perform (P.U.P) list, it may come down to a numbers game at defensive end.

Players like Dorance Armstrong, Joe Jackson, Kerry Hyder, and even Jalen Jelks may have something to say about Taco Charlton's spot on the 53-man roster, but I believe they give him another year to prove he's worth retaining.

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Star Blog

PFF Ranks Dak Prescott As Tier 3, 17th Overall Quarterback

Kevin Brady



Dak Prescott Clutch in 4th Quarter & OT in Win Over Eagles 3

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is the subject of constant debate around the football world. Now that it's getting time to pay him, those debates are even hotter.

As I discussed last week, Prescott has been much better than he's often given credit for, though the narrative continues to be that he is carried by his offensive line and rushing attack.

Pro Football Focus ranked all 32 starting quarterbacks heading into the 2019 season, placing them both in tiers, and in traditional order as well. Prescott clocked in at 17th overall on their list, listed as a tier 3 NFL starting quarterback.


The other quarterbacks listed in Prescott's tier include Carson Wentz, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford, and Cam Newton, all ranked in front of him. Prescott is ahead of a couple of tier 3 passers as well, though, including Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr.


Personally, I'd rank Prescott ahead of a decent number of those tier 3 quarterbacks, such as Stafford and Cousins. Overall, though, it's tough to have too big an issue with their assessment of Prescott and the Cowboys offense. He has been somewhat up-and-down during his time as the Cowboys starter, and saw a big spike in his play when given Amari Cooper as a weapon in the passing game a year ago.

While the entire fanbase is hopeful that he will improve on his mechanics and decision making under new leadership on offense, we can't bank on that happening just yet.

Still, Dak Prescott has looked excellent this preseason, and should be poised for a career year in 2019. I think there's a good chance he finds himself closer to Wentz and Watson on these types of rankings than Carr and Stafford by this time next season.

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