Cowboys Need to add a Deep Arrow to their Quiver
By Rafael Vela
The Buffalo Bills of the early ’90s offer a case study in the value of a deep threat.
In 1990 their K-gun, three wide receiver no-huddle offense ran roughshod over the NFL. Only a determined ball control New York Giants attack and a missed Scott Norwood field goal kept this unit, which pasted Oakland with 51 points in the AFC title game, from winning the Super Bowl.
That team scored over 28 points a game. Its receiver trio divided up the field. Andre Reed was the all purpose threat, a complete player who could beat you on the flanks and in the middle. Don Beebe was a speed threat from the slot. Thurman Thomas was a running and receiving threat from the backfield.
They got their room to operate because James Lofton kept opposing safeties honest. He averaged almost 19 yards per catch, so defenses could not load up the short zones trying to stop Thomas and Reed.
In ‘92 Lofton began to age. By ‘93 Lofton was gone and while the Bills made their final two Super Bowl runs their points per game dropped to 24 and then 21 points per game though Beebe, Reed, Thomas and Jim Kelly were still going strong.
The ‘07 Cowboys may not seem like the proper parallel with those old Bills. After all, their points per game rose from over 26 to over 28 points from ‘06 to ‘07. And this came with Terry Glenn playing in the first season and not playing in the latter.
I would argue that the Cowboys’ improvement came from a better passing scheme, that better utilized Terrell Owens and some maturity from Tony Romo.
Let’s look at the Cowboys’ December. They scored 28 points against a Detroit team hell bent on stopping Owens, but had to go the long way to do so. Jason Witten caught 16 passes in that game and Dallas lost its big play capability.
Against the Eagles, Owens was again doubled, though Romo’s scattershot play affected the team more than anything.
Against Carolina, Dallas ran off two scoring drives in the first half, but scored only six points after Owens left with a bum ankle. The Cowboys would score only four field goals in the six quarters after he left.
In the playoff game, Dallas showed great skill at converting third down passes, but had no deep threat. New York doubled Owens in the game and while he and Witten got their yards, the plays that linger are Patrick Crayton’s drop and stutter step in the final seconds.
Dallas needs a deep threat. It had a very good one in Terry Glenn but lost him to a knee injury, one that will likely end his career. What’s more, it needs one that is good out of the box. Rookie receivers are notoriously slow to develop; a Randy Moss is a rare bird.
For a blueprint, they can look to New England. The Patriots’ ‘06 ended in Indy, when their defense collapsed in the second half. The most obvious shortcoming seemed to be the aging linebacking corps, that could not cover Colts’ tight ends and receivers.
Instead, the New England brain trust looked at its receiving corps, which dropped several key passes in that loss, and blew it up. For a modest price, the Pats got a wealth of veteran production. They:
traded a 4th round pick to Oakland for Randy Moss;
traded a 2nd and a 7th round pick to Miami for Wes Welker, whom they signed to a long term deal;
signed free agent Donte Stallworth to a one-year $3.6 M deal with an option.
The Patriots gave Tom Brady dependable targets and watched their points per game explode from 24 a game last season to almost 37 this year. Teams could double Moss, but risked having Stallworth or Welker destroy them.
Dallas learned this the hard way. They kept Moss in check for much of the game but had no answer for Welker and watched Stallworth burn them for a 60 yard bomb in the 4th once the defense dialed up harder blitzes to get Brady.
Bloggers talk about chasing Moss, who will be a free agent, but he’ll be a top dollar signing. Dallas already has the all purpose threat in Owens and a steady, over the middle slot man in Crayton, who signed an extension this year.
Getting the deep man is key, and guys like this don’t cost an arm and a leg. Look at Stallworth’s contract. That’s in line with what Crayton will be making. It’s the mid priced deal that can be so valuable if the other pieces are in place.
That’s why I look at Chicago’s Bernard Berrian and to Stallworth himself as top targets for Dallas in free agency. Berrian has a reputation as being one dimensional but its the dimension Dallas lacks. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception in the Bears’ ‘06 Super Bowl drive and had a higher average until teams realized he was the lone legitimate weapon in Chicago’s passing arsenal.
He’s durable and should not cost a fortune.
Also look for Stallworth, who is due a $6 million roster bonus by February 25th. With Moss and Asante Samuel also facing free agency, there’s not much chance the Pats pick this up. He might be a good signing for a team at something approaching his ‘07 money.
With Jason Garrett staying the passing system will remain intact. Adding the deep speed should make Owens and Witten that much better, not to mention the running game.
The Buffalo Bills of the early ’90s offer a case study in the value of a deep threat.
In 1990 their K-gun, three wide receiver no-huddle offense ran roughshod over the NFL. Only a determined ball control New York Giants attack and a missed Scott Norwood field goal kept this unit, which pasted Oakland with 51 points in the AFC title game, from winning the Super Bowl.
That team scored over 28 points a game. Its receiver trio divided up the field. Andre Reed was the all purpose threat, a complete player who could beat you on the flanks and in the middle. Don Beebe was a speed threat from the slot. Thurman Thomas was a running and receiving threat from the backfield.
They got their room to operate because James Lofton kept opposing safeties honest. He averaged almost 19 yards per catch, so defenses could not load up the short zones trying to stop Thomas and Reed.
In ‘92 Lofton began to age. By ‘93 Lofton was gone and while the Bills made their final two Super Bowl runs their points per game dropped to 24 and then 21 points per game though Beebe, Reed, Thomas and Jim Kelly were still going strong.
The ‘07 Cowboys may not seem like the proper parallel with those old Bills. After all, their points per game rose from over 26 to over 28 points from ‘06 to ‘07. And this came with Terry Glenn playing in the first season and not playing in the latter.
I would argue that the Cowboys’ improvement came from a better passing scheme, that better utilized Terrell Owens and some maturity from Tony Romo.
Let’s look at the Cowboys’ December. They scored 28 points against a Detroit team hell bent on stopping Owens, but had to go the long way to do so. Jason Witten caught 16 passes in that game and Dallas lost its big play capability.
Against the Eagles, Owens was again doubled, though Romo’s scattershot play affected the team more than anything.
Against Carolina, Dallas ran off two scoring drives in the first half, but scored only six points after Owens left with a bum ankle. The Cowboys would score only four field goals in the six quarters after he left.
In the playoff game, Dallas showed great skill at converting third down passes, but had no deep threat. New York doubled Owens in the game and while he and Witten got their yards, the plays that linger are Patrick Crayton’s drop and stutter step in the final seconds.
Dallas needs a deep threat. It had a very good one in Terry Glenn but lost him to a knee injury, one that will likely end his career. What’s more, it needs one that is good out of the box. Rookie receivers are notoriously slow to develop; a Randy Moss is a rare bird.
For a blueprint, they can look to New England. The Patriots’ ‘06 ended in Indy, when their defense collapsed in the second half. The most obvious shortcoming seemed to be the aging linebacking corps, that could not cover Colts’ tight ends and receivers.
Instead, the New England brain trust looked at its receiving corps, which dropped several key passes in that loss, and blew it up. For a modest price, the Pats got a wealth of veteran production. They:
traded a 4th round pick to Oakland for Randy Moss;
traded a 2nd and a 7th round pick to Miami for Wes Welker, whom they signed to a long term deal;
signed free agent Donte Stallworth to a one-year $3.6 M deal with an option.
The Patriots gave Tom Brady dependable targets and watched their points per game explode from 24 a game last season to almost 37 this year. Teams could double Moss, but risked having Stallworth or Welker destroy them.
Dallas learned this the hard way. They kept Moss in check for much of the game but had no answer for Welker and watched Stallworth burn them for a 60 yard bomb in the 4th once the defense dialed up harder blitzes to get Brady.
Bloggers talk about chasing Moss, who will be a free agent, but he’ll be a top dollar signing. Dallas already has the all purpose threat in Owens and a steady, over the middle slot man in Crayton, who signed an extension this year.
Getting the deep man is key, and guys like this don’t cost an arm and a leg. Look at Stallworth’s contract. That’s in line with what Crayton will be making. It’s the mid priced deal that can be so valuable if the other pieces are in place.
That’s why I look at Chicago’s Bernard Berrian and to Stallworth himself as top targets for Dallas in free agency. Berrian has a reputation as being one dimensional but its the dimension Dallas lacks. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception in the Bears’ ‘06 Super Bowl drive and had a higher average until teams realized he was the lone legitimate weapon in Chicago’s passing arsenal.
He’s durable and should not cost a fortune.
Also look for Stallworth, who is due a $6 million roster bonus by February 25th. With Moss and Asante Samuel also facing free agency, there’s not much chance the Pats pick this up. He might be a good signing for a team at something approaching his ‘07 money.
With Jason Garrett staying the passing system will remain intact. Adding the deep speed should make Owens and Witten that much better, not to mention the running game.
posted by The Gryphon at 9:55 AM
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