During week one, the Dallas Cowboys faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In a game that many assumed would be high scoring, the Cowboys only scored three points. This was a big issue for the Offensive Coordinator Kellen Moore, for many started to question his skill at that position.
Last year the Cowboys had the most explosive offense in the NFL, yet in week one, they were the only team to not score a touchdown. What went wrong, the lack of receivers, Dak Prescott’s injury?
More so, it was the play calling. Kellen Moore tried to throw the ball on almost every down instead of feeding the ball to Running Back Ezekiel Elliott. Lots of mistakes were made that night on the offensive side of the ball.
Now, present day, Kellen Moore and the offense scored 23 points against the New York Giants. Much better performance than the first week. So what’s different between week one Kellen and week three Kellen?
For one, it’s noticeable he’s been sticking with the running game a lot more than passing. Elliott got 15 rushes against the Giants while he only got 10 against the Bucs. That’s also not mentioning that Tony Pollard is getting more runs as well.
That right there is a huge reason why the offense is succeeding more than it did before.
Another point to notice is that Kellen is working with a different QB now. Quarterback Cooper Rush has been amazing but there’s one thing I’ve noticed. In a previous post of mine, I stated how Dak Prescott scrambles a lot more than Cooper Rush does.
This may be a key reason why Kellen is having more success. There’s a lot more chemistry between Kellen and Rush because Rush stays in the pocket more. It seems that a lot of Kellen’s passing plays are designed to be played in the pocket rather than running outside.
With all this said, Moore has made a very impressive rebound with his coaching. Much more points are being scored and he has a QB that is 3-0 as a starter. Some of his plays are still questionable on if they were the right call or not. But overall he is performing much better.
I agree, Kellen Moore adjusted to this Teams strengths, I strongly believe the key is (T.O.P.) Time of possession, controlling the clock is a big factor and that starts by running the ball well, in return it sets up the pass when need be, Cooper Rush knows what He’s doing and shows it with His decision-making plays, it’s a Great gameplan for success, mixing it up with the many playmakers at Kellen Moore’s disposal.
Lean on the run, control the clock, pass when need be, keep the defense fresh, this formula works!
And when Dak is back, Moore will start calling all pass plays and forget the run
Now let’s not make him coach of the year just yet! I believe that KM has potential to be a really good coach but he like CD Lamb needs more experience and time to develop . The season is still young so let’s pick this conversation back up sometime around January then we can put a solid grade on his and the players season!!
A couple of games does not constitute redemption. But if he shows he can make adjustments on the fly, which has been sorely lacking and needs a much longer stint, then we can start this conversation. If he goes back to his pass happy way, there’s going to be lapses and a lot of head scratching.
I wonder if Prescott might not have been injured (twice) if KM utilized more than a five man front like last game? 6 and 7 up front helps both the pass and run. Still awaiting play/action from the offensive calls to capitalize on the recent improvements.