Fraley: Worst exhibition start for Cowboys' offense in more than 20 years

[Cr122]

Worst exhibition start for Cowboys' offense in more than 20 years
Posted at 9:11 PM on Fri., Aug. 13, 2010
Gerry Fraley / Reporter


The Dallas Cowboys have had 22 offensive possessions without a touchdown in two exhibition games. To put that into context, consider this.:

This is the first time since 1986 that the Cowboys have not produced an offensive touchdown in the first two exhibition games. That team gained an infamous spot in franchise history by losing six of its final seven games to finish 7-9 and end the streak of consecutive winning seasons at 20.

The 1986 offense featured Steve Pelluer for nine starts at quarterback. He threw for eight touchdowns with 17 interceptions. Tony Dorsett led the Cowboys in rushing with only 748 yards on 184 carries. No wide receiver caught as many as 50 passes.

The current Cowboys' offense is far more talented than the 1986 bunch. That said, this group recognizes the need to execute better even on the simple plays of the exhibition seasons.

``We're out here to get touchdowns,'' quarterback Tony Romo said. ``The execution has to be there. .... We're going to work to be better.''

 

[Cr122]

C'mon now, I am not ready to compare this offense to the 86' offense that's just ridiculous.

We have more talent on this team than that one did.

I know, I witnessed it with my own eyes.

Yes, we are struggling and have offensive line issues, but this is just nuts to compare to the 86' team.

At least we have hope with this offense, we are still young and yes before you say anything I know we need better offensive lineman.

 

[Cr122]

Look at this before you over react to this dumb article.

1986 Dallas Cowboys season
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


1986 Dallas Cowboys season
Head coach Tom Landry
Home field Texas Stadium
Results
Record 7-9
Place 3rd NFC East
Playoff finish did not qualify
Timeline
Previous season Next season
1985 1987

The Dallas Cowboys concluded the 1986 season with a record of 7 wins and 9 losses, finishing without a winning record for the first time since 1965.

The Cowboys, re-invigorated by the off-season acquisitions of running back Herschel Walker and passing coordinator Paul Hackett, got off to a strong 6-2 start, including a season opening win on Monday night over the New York Giants, which saw Walker score the winning touchdown late in the game, and a 30-6 blowout win over the Washington Redskins, which ended the Redskins 5-0 start. Quarterbacks Danny White and Steve Pelluer played well early in the season under Hackett's tutelage, who was brought over from the San Francisco 49ers to breathe new life into the passing game. However, White broke his wrist during a crucial loss to the New York Giants, and was ruled out for the season. Pelluer took over as the starting quarterback, and struggled mightily, throwing 17 interceptions over the course of the season, as well as seeing constant pressure from opposing pass rushers, including being sacked a team record 12 times in a game against San Diego. The Cowboys lost 7 out of their final 8 games, and suffered a five game losing streak to close out the season, including embarrassing losses to the Redskins (41-14) and the Seahawks on the annual Thanksgiving Day game (31-14). It was the Cowboys' first loss on Thanksgiving since 1979. During the third quarter of a late-season loss to the Los Angeles Rams, Tom Landry was forced to leave the field due to a threat against his life. Landry returned to the field later in the game wearing a bullet proof vest.

The Cowboys undoing certainly wasn't because of an inability to move the football, as the team ranked fourth in the NFL in total offense. Running back Herschel Walker rushed for 737 yards, caught 76 passes for 837 yards, and scored 14 touchdowns. Late in the season against the Eagles, Walker had a combined 292 yards rushing and receiving, breaking the team single game record. Running back Tony Dorsett added 748 yards rushing, and even though he was still the team's starting running back, he was clearly unhappy with his reduced role. This was the first non-strike season he hadn't rushed for 1000 yards. The passing game flourished under Danny White early in the year, but following White's injury, turnovers and an inability to protect the quarterback neutralized the passing attack. Wide receiver Tony Hill and tight end Doug Cosbie both began to show their age, and Mike Renfro was limited because of injury. Rookie wide receiver Mike Sherrard provided a deep threat, gaining 744 yards on just 41 receptions. Defensively, the team struggled to stop the run, finishing 23rd against the run, and the secondary, an opportunistic bunch in past seasons, only intercepted 17 passes during the season. The pass rush was still strong, despite defensive tackle Randy White finally beginning to slow down due to age and injury, as third year defensive end Jim Jeffcoat stepped up with 14 sacks. Overall, it was mistakes that would plague the team throughout the 1986 season. The offensive line gave up 60 sacks, the offense turned the ball over 41 times, and the team committed 112 penalties.

No Cowboys were selected for the Pro Bowl in 1986.


1986 NFL Draft

Round Pick Name Position School
1 18 Mike Sherrard Wide Receiver UCLA
2 33 Darryl Clack Running Back Arizona State
3 74 Mark Walen Defensive Tackle UCLA
4 100 Max Zendejas Placekicker Arizona
6 140 Thornton Chandler Tight End Alabama
6 150 Stan Gelbaugh Quarterback Maryland
6 158 Lloyd Yancey Offensive Guard Temple
7 185 Johnny Holloway Wide Receiver Kansas
8 212 Topper Clemons Running Back Wake Forest
9 242 John Ionata Offensive Guard Florida State
10 269 Bryan Chester Offensive Guard Texas
11 296 Garth Jax Linebacker Florida State
12 307 Chris Duliban Linebacker Texas
12 322 Tony Flack Defensive Back Georgia


1986 Roster
Dallas Cowboys roster
Quarterbacks

* 10 Reggie Collier
* 14 Paul McDonald
* 16 Steve Pelluer
* 11 Danny White

Running Backs

* 42 Darryl Clack
* 33 Tony Dorsett
* 46 Todd Fowler
* 29 Robert Lavette
* 30 Timmy Newsome
* 34 Herschel Walker

Wide Receivers

* 87 Gordon Banks
* 80 Tony Hill
* 81 Karl Powe
* 82 Mike Renfro
* 86 Mike Sherrard

Tight Ends

* 85 Thornton Chandler
* 84 Doug Cosbie



Offensive Linemen

* 62 Brian Baldinger
* 61 Jim Cooper
* 68 Crawford Ker
* 67 Nate Newton
* 75 Phil Pozderac
* 64 Tom Rafferty
* 70 Howard Richards
* 63 Glen Titensor
* 71 Mark Tuinei

Defensive Linemen

* 66 Jesse Baker
* 99 Kevin Brooks
* 78 John Dutton
* 77 Jim Jeffcoat
* 72 Ed "Too Tall" Jones
* 76 Bob Otto
* 73 Kurt Ploeger
* 60 Don Smerek
* 54 Randy White

Linebackers

* 55 Steve DeOssie
* 58 Mike Hegman
* 53 Garth Jax
* 56 Eugene Lockhart
* 59 Jesse Penn
* 50 Jeff Rohrer

Defensive Backs

* 36 Vince Albritton
* 40 Bill Bates
* 26 Michael Downs
* 27 Ron Fellows
* 44 Cornell Gowdy
* 45 Manny Hendrix
* 23 Johnny Holloway
* 22 Victor Scott
* 24 Everson Walls

Special Teams

* 4 Mike Saxon
* 1 Rafael Septien

Regular season
Schedule

Week Date Opponent Result Game site NFL Recap
1 September 8, 1986 New York Giants W 31-28 Texas Stadium [1]
2 September 14, 1986 at Detroit Lions W 31-7 Silverdome [2]
3 September 21, 1986 Atlanta Falcons L 35-37 Texas Stadium [3]
4 September 29, 1986 at St. Louis Cardinals W 31-7 Busch Memorial Stadium [4]
5 October 5, 1986 at Denver Broncos L 14-29 Mile High Stadium [5]
6 October 12, 1986 Washington Redskins W 30-6 Texas Stadium [6]
7 October 19, 1986 at Philadelphia Eagles W 17-14 Veterans Stadium [7]
8 October 26, 1986 St. Louis Cardinals W 37-6 Texas Stadium [8]
9 November 2, 1986 at New York Giants L 14-17 Giants Stadium [9]
10 November 9, 1986 Los Angeles Raiders L 13-17 Texas Stadium [10]
11 November 16, 1986 at San Diego Chargers W 24-21 Jack Murphy Stadium [11]
12 November 23, 1986 at Washington Redskins L 14-41 RFK Stadium [12]
13 November 27, 1986 Seattle Seahawks L 14-31 Texas Stadium [13]
14 December 7, 1986 at Los Angeles Rams L 10-29 Anaheim Stadium [14]
15 December 14, 1986 Philadelphia Eagles L 21-23 Texas Stadium [15]
16 December 21, 1986 Chicago Bears L 10-24 Texas Stadium [16]

Standings
NFC East
W L T PCT PF PA STK
New York Giants 14 2 0 .875 371 236 W-9
Washington Redskins 12 4 0 .750 368 296 W-1
Dallas Cowboys 7 9 0 .438 346 337 L-5
Philadelphia Eagles 5 10 1 .344 256 312 L-1
St. Louis Cardinals 4 11 1 .281 218 351 W-1

 

[Cr122]

If you look a lot of those players were nearing the end of their careers.

Dorsett,Hill,Walls and so on. That 86' team stunk.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'm not concerned– yet.

 

[sbk92]

Impressive work from Coach Landry.

~snicker snicker/ice cup toast clank~

 

[Sheik]

I'm not concerned– yet.

That's kinda where I am. I see the line as a weakness. I think we're as good as anyone in the league on offense until we get around the 10 yard line.

The good news is, with this defense, we won't need to score 30 points a game.

 

[sbk92]

I'm not concerned– yet.

Get concerned, Mikey.

This isn't a preseason thing. We were eliminated last year based entirely on our offensive line. That same group looks bad this year.

I'm sure they'll have their good (average) games throughout the season but I don't see how we compete for a championship with this line. I don't think it can be done.

 

[Sheik]

Get concerned, Mikey.

This isn't a preseason thing. We were eliminated last year based entirely on our offensive line. That same group looks bad this year.

I'm sure they'll have their good (average) games throughout the season but I don't see how we compete for a championship with this line. I don't think it can be done.

We'll be good enough to win games, I just doubt we'll be able to win 3 or more games in a row late in the year. This line has crapped out late every year for the last 4+ years. No reason to believe it won't this year.

 

[sbk92]

We'll be good enough to win games, I just doubt we'll be able to win 3 or more games in a row late in the year. This line has crapped out late every year for the last 4+ years. No reason to believe it won't this year.

They're weak. The two guys with real talent are aging and play like they don't care anymore.

 

[sbk92]

If they have any pride whatsoever, we should see it next Saturday.

If they come out with the same kind of performance, it's not only a reason to worry, it's a reason to find some other interest for the fall.

 

[Cr122]

If they have any pride whatsoever, we should see it next Saturday.

If they come out with the same kind of performance, it's not only a reason to worry, it's a reason to find some other interest for the fall.

Well, maybe Jerry will be too upset about the outcome and fall off the face of the earth, so we can get some real football personal here.