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12:58 AM CDT on Sunday, August 15, 2010
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News | gfraley@dallasnews.com
Gerry Fraley
Archive | Bio | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. – On Saturday morning, the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line devoted a portion of practice to reviewing mistakes made in the last exhibition game.
The session dragged on for a while.
"We're not jumping up and down about what we've been doing," offensive line coach Hudson Houck said.
The Cowboys' first two exhibition games have offered a valuable reminder. No matter how many high-powered toys an offense has, it will do nothing if the line does not play well.
The offensive line has not performed well, and the indictment covers all 14 linemen in camp. Consider these points:
• The Cowboys have not scored an offensive touchdown in the preseason. They last opened the exhibition season with two consecutive touchdown-less games in 1986.
• They have allowed 11 sacks. A year ago, the Cowboys gave up one sack in the first two exhibitions.
• The Cowboys are averaging 2.96 yards per rush. The three-headed running back of Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Barber has 76 yards on 21 carries.
There are numerous explanations for this poor showing.
The offense has been vanilla, showing only a few plays to keep opponents guessing about regular-season plans. The Cowboys are using several inexperienced offensive linemen to measure their worth.
Many sacks can be traced to the inability of receivers to get open, or the quarterbacks holding the ball too long. The offense suffered for having only two healthy tight ends against Oakland.
None of that gets the offensive line off the hook.
"There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to panic," Houck said. "Fortunately, we don't have to play a game that counts this week. We'll build on what we're doing, and we'll get it solved.
"I'm not concerned. We've got quality personnel. We have guys who are workers. That's why we are in training camp."
The first task for Houck has been to determine which linemen can be helpful backups. That process has stalled.
Two potentially key vital reserves – guard Montrae Holland and tackle Alex Barron – have been limited because of injuries.
Rookie tackle Sam Young , a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame has shown the best, but he is well removed from playing at the NFL level. Tackle Robert Brewster, a third-round pick in 2009, has been erratic. The depth owner-general manager Jerry Jones had hoped for has not shown itself.
The starting offensive line has had only three full series. In the opener, it handled Cincinnati's blitzes. Against Oakland, the running game stalled, and the line gave up four sacks in the first quarter while struggling against an elementary four-man rush.
That increases the focus on right tackle Marc Colombo.
Against Oakland, Colombo allowed two sacks by rookie end Lamarr Houston. On the first sack, quarterback Tony Romo held the ball too long. On the second sack, Houston, a UT-ex, tossed Colombo aside.
With Colombo, run blocking means as much as pass protection. The Cowboys prefer to run to Colombo's side because of his power. When the Cowboys do not run well, it is usually because Colombo is having difficulty.
Colombo declined to discuss his performance against Oakland, so consider the facts:
He is 31 years old and coming off his second major leg injury in eight years. He missed the final seven regular-season games because of a broken fibula and high ankle sprain. Colombo gallantly returned for the playoffs but was ineffective.
The Cowboys began camp uncertain Doug Free could play left tackle. Free has had two good games, moving coach Wade Phillips to say, "I think we're going to be real happy with him."
Colombo's spot has become the position to watch on an offensive line that redefines the term "work in progress."
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News
gfraley@dallasnews.com
Column by GERRY FRALEY / The Dallas Morning News | gfraley@dallasnews.com
Gerry Fraley
Archive | Bio | E-mail
OXNARD, Calif. – On Saturday morning, the Dallas Cowboys' offensive line devoted a portion of practice to reviewing mistakes made in the last exhibition game.
The session dragged on for a while.
"We're not jumping up and down about what we've been doing," offensive line coach Hudson Houck said.
The Cowboys' first two exhibition games have offered a valuable reminder. No matter how many high-powered toys an offense has, it will do nothing if the line does not play well.
The offensive line has not performed well, and the indictment covers all 14 linemen in camp. Consider these points:
• The Cowboys have not scored an offensive touchdown in the preseason. They last opened the exhibition season with two consecutive touchdown-less games in 1986.
• They have allowed 11 sacks. A year ago, the Cowboys gave up one sack in the first two exhibitions.
• The Cowboys are averaging 2.96 yards per rush. The three-headed running back of Marion Barber, Tashard Choice and Felix Barber has 76 yards on 21 carries.
There are numerous explanations for this poor showing.
The offense has been vanilla, showing only a few plays to keep opponents guessing about regular-season plans. The Cowboys are using several inexperienced offensive linemen to measure their worth.
Many sacks can be traced to the inability of receivers to get open, or the quarterbacks holding the ball too long. The offense suffered for having only two healthy tight ends against Oakland.
None of that gets the offensive line off the hook.
"There is absolutely no reason whatsoever to panic," Houck said. "Fortunately, we don't have to play a game that counts this week. We'll build on what we're doing, and we'll get it solved.
"I'm not concerned. We've got quality personnel. We have guys who are workers. That's why we are in training camp."
The first task for Houck has been to determine which linemen can be helpful backups. That process has stalled.
Two potentially key vital reserves – guard Montrae Holland and tackle Alex Barron – have been limited because of injuries.
Rookie tackle Sam Young , a sixth-round pick from Notre Dame has shown the best, but he is well removed from playing at the NFL level. Tackle Robert Brewster, a third-round pick in 2009, has been erratic. The depth owner-general manager Jerry Jones had hoped for has not shown itself.
The starting offensive line has had only three full series. In the opener, it handled Cincinnati's blitzes. Against Oakland, the running game stalled, and the line gave up four sacks in the first quarter while struggling against an elementary four-man rush.
That increases the focus on right tackle Marc Colombo.
Against Oakland, Colombo allowed two sacks by rookie end Lamarr Houston. On the first sack, quarterback Tony Romo held the ball too long. On the second sack, Houston, a UT-ex, tossed Colombo aside.
With Colombo, run blocking means as much as pass protection. The Cowboys prefer to run to Colombo's side because of his power. When the Cowboys do not run well, it is usually because Colombo is having difficulty.
Colombo declined to discuss his performance against Oakland, so consider the facts:
He is 31 years old and coming off his second major leg injury in eight years. He missed the final seven regular-season games because of a broken fibula and high ankle sprain. Colombo gallantly returned for the playoffs but was ineffective.
The Cowboys began camp uncertain Doug Free could play left tackle. Free has had two good games, moving coach Wade Phillips to say, "I think we're going to be real happy with him."
Colombo's spot has become the position to watch on an offensive line that redefines the term "work in progress."
