Cowboys load up on shotgun
Parcells not thrilled with formation, but it's a good fit for Romo
09:22 PM CST on Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Todd ArcherArchiveE-mail | Bio
IRVING – If you think you've seen the shotgun more since Tony Romo's been the Cowboys' starting quarterback, you are not wrong.
In his 3 ½ games of work, Romo has thrown 26 passes out of the shotgun formation, which includes a couple of scrambles and two sacks. In his 5 ½ games of work, Drew Bledsoe had 13 throws from the shotgun to go with a couple of scrambles and three sacks.
Coach Bill Parcells does not sound like a fan of the formation.
"Oh, we've just done a little more of it," he said. "I'm not in love with it, but we do it sometimes."
The Cowboys do it because Romo thrives in the shotgun.
In the formation, he has completed 17 of 26 passes for 271 yards. His yards per attempt is a staggering 10.42, compared with 7.0 for Bledsoe, who is 7-of-13 for 91 yards.
Eleven of Romo's completions have gone for first downs and four have been for 25 yards or more.
But here's one reason why Parcells is not much of a fan of the shotgun: Romo has been intercepted twice and does not have a touchdown throw from the formation. And there's this:
"You're more of a one-dimensional team when you're in that," Parcells said.
Although the shotgun can limit what type of play is called, the Cowboys have run enough draws with Julius Jones and Marion Barber to keep the defense thinking about the run. Jones and Barber have combined for 13 carries for 79 yards out of the shotgun.
Still, defenses have a better chance of guessing right when they see the shotgun. Pass rushers can use their speed more effectively, and, in road games, offensive tackles can have a difficult time with the snap count because of the noise.
Parcells said Vinny Testaverde, the Cowboys' starter in 2004, was not a fan of the shotgun because it took his eyes off the defense momentarily. Bledsoe's career numbers out of the shotgun aren't so good, either. He completed 698 of 1,251 passes for 9,337 yards with 29 touchdowns and 52 interceptions. He has been sacked 129 times and lost 10 fumbles.
Against Arizona last week, the Cowboys used the shotgun snap in all but two of their nine possessions. Romo completed a 51-yard pass to Terrell Owens on the first play of one drive, and Keylon Kincade got the first work of his career late in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were killing the clock.
The Cowboys went with an empty-backfield formation eight times against the Cardinals and used a three-wide receiver formation 19 times. Tight end Jason Witten lined up wide seven times.
By spreading the formations, Romo is able to make a better pre-snap read of the defense because it has to declare whether it is going to play man-to-man or zone.
Romo's elusiveness is also helped by the shotgun. He was able to slide-step a blitzing Robert Griffith on Sunday and throw a 34-yard dart to Patrick Crayton.
"I think it helps him see better," Parcells said. "He seems to be OK with it."
And Parcells will go with the shotgun, even if he isn't in love with it.
09:22 PM CST on Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Todd ArcherArchiveE-mail | Bio
IRVING – If you think you've seen the shotgun more since Tony Romo's been the Cowboys' starting quarterback, you are not wrong.
In his 3 ½ games of work, Romo has thrown 26 passes out of the shotgun formation, which includes a couple of scrambles and two sacks. In his 5 ½ games of work, Drew Bledsoe had 13 throws from the shotgun to go with a couple of scrambles and three sacks.
Coach Bill Parcells does not sound like a fan of the formation.
"Oh, we've just done a little more of it," he said. "I'm not in love with it, but we do it sometimes."
The Cowboys do it because Romo thrives in the shotgun.
In the formation, he has completed 17 of 26 passes for 271 yards. His yards per attempt is a staggering 10.42, compared with 7.0 for Bledsoe, who is 7-of-13 for 91 yards.
Eleven of Romo's completions have gone for first downs and four have been for 25 yards or more.
But here's one reason why Parcells is not much of a fan of the shotgun: Romo has been intercepted twice and does not have a touchdown throw from the formation. And there's this:
"You're more of a one-dimensional team when you're in that," Parcells said.
Although the shotgun can limit what type of play is called, the Cowboys have run enough draws with Julius Jones and Marion Barber to keep the defense thinking about the run. Jones and Barber have combined for 13 carries for 79 yards out of the shotgun.
Still, defenses have a better chance of guessing right when they see the shotgun. Pass rushers can use their speed more effectively, and, in road games, offensive tackles can have a difficult time with the snap count because of the noise.
Parcells said Vinny Testaverde, the Cowboys' starter in 2004, was not a fan of the shotgun because it took his eyes off the defense momentarily. Bledsoe's career numbers out of the shotgun aren't so good, either. He completed 698 of 1,251 passes for 9,337 yards with 29 touchdowns and 52 interceptions. He has been sacked 129 times and lost 10 fumbles.
Against Arizona last week, the Cowboys used the shotgun snap in all but two of their nine possessions. Romo completed a 51-yard pass to Terrell Owens on the first play of one drive, and Keylon Kincade got the first work of his career late in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys were killing the clock.
The Cowboys went with an empty-backfield formation eight times against the Cardinals and used a three-wide receiver formation 19 times. Tight end Jason Witten lined up wide seven times.
By spreading the formations, Romo is able to make a better pre-snap read of the defense because it has to declare whether it is going to play man-to-man or zone.
Romo's elusiveness is also helped by the shotgun. He was able to slide-step a blitzing Robert Griffith on Sunday and throw a 34-yard dart to Patrick Crayton.
"I think it helps him see better," Parcells said. "He seems to be OK with it."
And Parcells will go with the shotgun, even if he isn't in love with it.
posted by The Gryphon at 6:47 PM
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