Jason Garrett: Constantly Questionable Play Calling

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Based off their performance against Redskins on Sunday night, the offense picked up where they left off from last season. Statically out-gain your opponent, but does not put up enough points to win the game.

The Cowboys racked up 380 total yards (277 pass, 103 rush) along with 24 first downs and had the ball for a total of 34:03. In all of these categories, the Redskins failed to match the Cowboys by gaining 250 total yards (161 pass, 89 rush) to go along with 17 first downs and a time of possession of 25:57.

So why do the Cowboys continue to lose games even with the offense statistically out-gaining their opposition? My answer would the constant questionable play calling by offensive coordinator Jason Garrett.

In his fourth year with the Cowboys, Garrett has been criticized for being too pass-happy instead of making this offense more run orientated using all three running backs to setup the pass.

For example, on the Cowboys lone touchdown drive in the third quarter, they effectively drove the ball down the field with a great mixture of run and pass to cap off it with a nine-yard touchdown strike to Miles Austin from Tony Romo.

After a sack by Demarcus Ware on the Redskins ensuing drive and with momentum on their side, you would think Garrett would call similar plays that resulted in a touchdown, right? At the beginning of the drive, that was the case by starting off with four straight runs picking up two first downs.

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Week 1 Review: Cowboys Look Awful

Ugly is the only word that can describe the first game of the season for the Dallas Cowboys. I have said it before and I will say it again, what was Jason Garrett thinking? His play calling is awful, he doesn’t appear to think before making important decisions and I hope that he is not still in the running to replace Wade when the time comes.

My biggest problem with Garrett is the inefficiency of the offense, if you listened to the so-called experts and judged an offense based on yardage the Boys have one of the best. Too bad games in the NFL are decided by the score and not total yards. Not only was the Cowboys offense inefficient they gave the Redskins a touchdown when Romo should have been taking a knee. That play shouldn’t have been run and nobody from the top all the way to the bottom stopped it. Romo should have taken a knee and Wade should have punched Garrett in the back of the head. There are a few other things that are still bothering me about last week as well. You can argue that any of the following plays cost us the game:

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Dallas Cowboys Update: Week 1 Blues

Dallas Moves on From Opening Day Loss
The sports betting experts bought into the preseason hype surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. The preseason NFL betting lines had the Cowboys as 12 to 1 favorites to win the Super Bowl. The only team given better odds was the preseason Super Bowl favorite Indianapolis Colts.

As the preseason moved along there were some questions being raised about the Cowboys offensive line. It seemed that offensive lineman Flozell Adams left a bigger hole than the Cowboys anticipated. Then starting offensive linemen Marc Colombo and Kyle Kosier got hurt right before the season started, and things started to look bad for the Boys.

Back-up offensive lineman Alex Barron is one Cowboy who cannot wait for Colombo to come back. While playing in place of the injured Colombo in the opening game against the Washington Redskins, Barron was called for holding on a play that saw quarterback Tony Romo throw what should have been the winning touchdown pass to receiver Roy Williams. It was the last play of the game and the penalty ended the game.

The Cowboys seemed to be able to throw the ball when they needed to in the Redskins game, but running backs Felix Jones and Marion Barber finished with 77 yards combined on the ground. The combination of the speed of the Washington linebackers and the poor play of the Dallas offensive line contributed to shut down what should be the most potent running game in the league.

But the Cowboys, and the football betting surrounding their season, rolls on. Roy Williams has stated that he isn’t worried about the Barron mistake, and the team should just move on. Whether the team can move on and win this week remains to be seen.

The Las Vegas experts that do the NFL predictions have not been discouraged by the Cowboys opening day loss. The Cowboys are favored by nine points in their upcoming game with the Chicago Bears.

The Cowboys got a scare in their last defensive series of the Washington game when all-pro linebacker DeMarcus Ware was left lying on the field after tackling running back Larry Johnson. Johnson’s knee had collided with Ware’s helmet, causing Ware to collapse to the field instantly. Ware left the field under his own power and has said that he could have played if he was needed. The Cowboys are evaluating Ware’s neck, but at this point it is being called a strained neck and Ware is expected to play this week.

The level of forward thinking going into preparations for Super Bowl XLV being played in the new Dallas Stadium in February of 2011 is starting to show no bounds. It has been reported that the NFL, along with several non-profit environmental groups in the Dallas area, will be planting over 6,500 trees in the next few weeks. The trees will help reduce the amount of pollutants in the air from the extra vehicles and people that will be visiting for the Super Bowl. The metro Dallas are and 12 surrounding communities are expected to be planting trees in anticipation of the Super Bowl crowds that will be arriving in February.

Dallas Cowboys: Cause for Preseason Concern?

Read more great Dallas Cowboys Content from Ben at Blue Star Daily, Ben can also be found on Twitter @BenBulljive
With one more game remaining in the preseason, the Cowboys have been a hop topic for discussion since their horrible performance last Saturday in that 23-7 lost to the Houston Texans.

In that game, the Cowboys looked out of sync, discombobulated, and worn down as they were physically beaten by the Texans and raised some eye brows about the super bowl contender.

Will the red zone woes from last season carry over to this season? Can the offensive line hold up enough to keep Romo off his back? Or, can Alan Ball and Gerald Sensabaugh provide the consistent play at the safety positions this defense has desperately needed in past years.

So, here are four concerns for the Cowboys going into the last preseason game.  More importantly, these are areas they need to address with the regular season right around the corner: Read more