Cowboys OC plans to shorten rotation at receivers for Lions game & that’s a

great place to start The Cowboys are implementing “some changes” on offense after they have fallen into offensive purgatory early in the season. Scott Linehan and Dak Prescott at least know that what they have been trying isn’t working. So http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/antwaun-woods-jersey-cheap , the offensive coordinator has decided to look at his roster that seemingly has 1,000 receivers and tighten up the rotation. For the first three games, six of the seven receivers on the roster have worked their way in and out of the lineup. Now, they have had some bright moments, like this one to Tavon Austin in week two’s win over the Giants (remember how fun that was?!).Then there was this one to the same guy even though it was during the middle of a terrrible game.These ‘moments’ have been really rare to find in an offense that has rarely found success lately. Scott Linehan is well aware of the angry mob steadily approaching “The Star” since this ‘slump’ started 11 games ago. He’s also well aware that in his 16-year NFL career calling offenses, he’s had a Top-10 offense in one area or another in 12 of them. Now, he faces a tough task of getting back to what worked for his personnel. That’s why tightening up the receiving rotation is a great place to start with the Detroit Lions’ number-one ranked pass defense coming to town.A few days ago, we noted the passing offense being in such rough shape because there just hasn’t been much of a plan at receiver. The Cowboys have done more to take away from their passing game than help it. There has been no rhythm because there is literally no rhythm in how or when they deploy their receivers. Right now, Ezekiel Elliott and Geoff Swaim are technically the two pass catchers in snap percentage, over 90% for both. In targets, it’s Elliott (1st) and Swaim (4th). In receptions, Elliott (2nd) and Swaim (4th) again though both guys are the two lowest in yards per catch. Here is what the snap counts and production look like from just the receivers on this team:PlayerSnap Pct. (Rank)Targets (Rank)Rec (Rank)Rec. Yards (Rank)TDOne thing that stands out is hopefully what Linehan is talking about, and that’s getting a consistent rotation going. What happened to trading for Tavon Austin and “having a plan” for him? Austin has been one of the only bright spots in their struggles to find a passing rhythm. Terrance Williams has primarily been getting snaps as a run blocker with zero targets in the passing game in week three. Now, they are preparing to possibly lose Williams for a stretch so they added Brice Butler to the mix. The coaches have to decide which guys are going to be most productive and use them against the Lions. Do you remember that NFL clich茅 about quarterbacks: If you have two of them, you don’t have a quarterback? Well, how about if you have seven receivers, you probably don’t have a chance for a clean passing game?When you’re facing off against guys like Quandre Diggs, Darius Slay, and Glover Quinn, a plan is going to be needed. You can’t make it as easy for the defense. When you don’t have the respect of the defense for your receivers, you must find ways to earn it. You probably want to start with the most important question:What mismatches do the Cowboys have that they can use?A.) Short-area quickness/Speed- Tavon Austin Cheap Ezekiel Elliott Jersey , Deonte Thompson, and Cole BeasleyB.) Size & Athleticism - Rico Gathers, Michael Gallup, Allen HurnsC.) YAC potential - All of the above if used correctlyIt’s about finding a rhythm between your quarterback and his receivers that can be efficient. It’s unlikely that the Cowboys are going walk into this matchup and dominate this Lions defense at what they do best, cover the pass. At the same time, you have to find ways for a more efficient passing game. Linehan and Dak have said that they have added more wrinkles to the offense but what could that mean?Well, hopefully it means much less Air-Coryell and vertical routes that don’t really fit the personnel. In order to create some success in the passing game, they will need to think more along the lines of the West Coast or Spread concepts. Try more underneath routes or rub routes. Heck, why not some pick plays? You run the risk of getting caught but check outhow these pick plays have worked for the Saints and Patriots. Why use Rico Gathers as a blocker when you can run him on a crossing pattern? Most of all, get Dak Prescott comfortable using play-action. This should be a great game for the Cowboys to establish the run, against a Lions defense that surrenders 149 rushing yards per game, which is 32nd in the league. If Scott Linehan is looking to tighten up his receiving corps, then that’s good news for the offense. Pick a few that the quarterback can start building chemistry with instead of having six guys with no chemistry. With as bad as this Lions run defense seems to be, the Cowboys don’t have to pass their way to victory. It’s just important for them to find something that resembles an efficient NFL passing offense, do that and they just might find themselves in the win column.Cowboys rookie report: Leighton Vander Esch, Connor Williams perform well in week four win Thanks to a game-winning drive from Dak Prescott and a special performance by Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys pulled out a crucial victory on Sunday over a Detroit Lions team that was coming off a win over the New England Patriots. While the Cowboys still have a lot of work to do, week four was certainly a big step in the right direction.As mentioned above, Dak played well and so did Zeke. DeMarcus Lawrence got to Matthew Stafford three different times and Byron Jones continues to excel at cornerback. But, how did the rookies look?Let’s take a look at the first-year Cowboys that saw playing time on Sunday afternoon.Leighton Vander EschWe all know that there was certainly a mixed reaction, to put it lightly Youth Maliek Collins Jersey , when Roger Goddell walked out onto the stage inside AT&T Stadium and announced that the Cowboys would pick Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch with the 19th pick of the draft — especially with the perceived needs elsewhere, such as wide receiver and offensive line; however — at least through four games — Vander Esch is doing his best to silence his critics one tackle at a time.The rookie linebacker has been one of the more impressive players on a defensive unit that has performed mostly well through four games in 2018. LVE did not see many snaps against the Panthers in week one, but he still managed to record three tackles. From there, it’s only gotten better: seven tackles (all solo and no misses) versus the Giants in a week two victory and then 11 total tackles up in Seattle against the Seahawks.How would the rookie play without Sean Lee leading the charge this past week? Well, we got our answer on Sunday. LVE again put together a solid performance in a crucial win, making six stops — including some impressive tackles in the open-field — versus Detroit.Exhibit A:Exhibit B:In a game in which Dak Prescott and the offense moved up and down the field and in which DeMarcus Lawrence added three more sacks to his total, Leighton Vander Esch was someone that stood out.Connor WilliamsThe rookie offensive guard has played well in three consecutive games after having some trouble against the Panthers front in week one. The Texas product possesses a unique blend of size and athleticism, which made it surprising to see the 6-foot-5, 296-pound fall out of the first-round back in April.Williams has performed well as a run-blocker for the Cowboys in recent weeks. Dallas loves to use his athleticism to pull and get out in front of Zeke so that 21 can find a running lane and burst through it. Or, he can help in the run game by doing this:The rookie only gave up one pressure in the week four victory and has been a strong contributor in the interior of the line through four games.Michael GallupThe hype surrounding the third-round rookie wide receiver has been high from Cowboys and even from some that follow the draft; however, the Colorado State product had yet to really show anything impressive entering last Sunday’s game versus Detroit.Then, Dak Prescott threw a dime in Gallup’s direction, and the rookie hauled the pass in for a 37-yard gain to set up a score in the first quarter on Sunday.Gallup finished with two grabs for 45-yards in week four — not numbers that are going to win you your fantasy league by any means, but a step in the right direction for the rookie wideout that is looking to make his presence felt on this offense.Dorance Armstrong Jr.Finally, there is a Dorance Armstrong. The rookie pass rusher has shown some flashes of his potential during the early parts of this season, making a pair of stops in week one and blowing up the line of scrimmage once against the Giants. Behind some guy by the name of DeMarcus Lawrence at defensive end, Armstrong does not have many opportunities to get his name in the box score, but he did add an assisted tackle versus the Lions while making the most of his snaps behind Tank and the other talented ends that is on the Dallas roster.We’ll see how the former Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year progresses throughout his rookie season in the Big D.