Targeted only once more, but 46 more catches.

[Doomsday]

Interesting stat from the last two seasons, Cole Beasley was targeted by Dak only one time more than Dez, but caught 46 more passes than Dez.

Cole Beasley: Receptions 75, Targets 98
Dez Bryant: Receptions 50, Targets 97

Compared to 2015 with Cassel throwing most of the passes, kind of the same trend percentage-wise:
Cole Beasley: Receptions 52, Targets 74
Dez Bryant: Receptions 31, Targets 74

And compare to Romo's last (sort of) full season, 2014:
Cole Beasley: Receptions 37, Targets 49
Dez Bryant: Receptions 88, Targets 138

Annnnnd.... 2013:
Cole Beasley: Receptions 39, Targets 55
Dez Bryant: Receptions 93, Targets 160


Will we see the Romo huge favoring of Dez in targets this coming season, now that Dak has a year under his belt and can presumably see more of the field? Or is what we saw with Dak last year - taking the hamburger more often than trying for the steak - the 'new normal?'

With Romo, Witten was also targeted a lot more than either Cassell or Dak ever did. What does this all mean, if anything?

One thing is clear, Romo's attack was more explosive, but it was also more 'feast or famine.' Whereas Dak's passing seems to trend toward the safer, if less explosive meter.

Meanwhile Dak's season earned him a 104.6 rating overall, while Romo's arguably best season - 2014 - saw him stamp out a 113.2 rating, even with the nine picks he had.

But hey, there's not really been all that much less Dez than Beasley - in fact it's only one more target for Cole the last two years. But Cole is catching a much higher percentage of balls that come his way.

Thoughts?

 

[MrB]

I think the coaching staff need to have Dez running routes that make it easier for him to get open such as drag routes and slants. We all know Dez has never been a great route runner so why have him running routes where it's hard for him to get open? I guarantee you that Beasley had way more catches where he was wide open going across the middle of the field. Dez is a threat when he has the ball in his hands. He needs more passes being thrown to him going across the middle of the field instead of all the 50/50 balls.

 

[Doomsday]

I think the coaching staff need to have Dez running routes that make it easier for him to get open such as drag routes and slants. We all know Dez has never been a great route runner

Those routes aren't the easiest to run, so you might have answered your own thought. I'm pretty sure Dez isn't the brightest bulb in the marquee either. Need a intelligent player to give multiple routes and responsibilities to.

I wonder how the addition of Switzer is going to affect pass distribution though. Seems offhand to me like defenses won't be able to give Dez as much attention, might lead to him being open more.

 

[ThoughtExperiment]

I think the coaching staff need to have Dez running routes that make it easier for him to get open such as drag routes and slants. We all know Dez has never been a great route runner so why have him running routes where it's hard for him to get open?

Omega, you want to handle this?

 

[Scot]

A couple of the Cowboys podcasts have said that they noticed Dez running more routes to the middle of the field than in previous years. So apparently that is already the plan.

As for Dez catching significantly less catches per target than Beasley we need to remember he draws more double teams than anyone else

Not that I'm making excuses for his low catch per reception stat but there is a logical reason for it.

With that said his catch percentage still should be much higher considering he's the number one WR and that at one point in the recent past was considered a top ten WR. He should have more catches period

 

[Doomsday]

As for Dez catching significantly less catches per target than Beasley we need to remember he draws more double teams than anyone else

Not that I'm making excuses for his low catch per reception stat but there is a logical reason for it.

Throwing into double coverage happens a lot less with Dak, yet still we have a high percentage of incompletions to Dez. He DROPS a lot of balls. Let me say that again:

Throwing into double coverage happens a lot less with Dak, yet still we have a higher percentage of incompletions to Dez.

Please explain.

His being double teamed and rotated on only apples mostly when Romo's at the helm. He wasn't at the helm last year, or most of 2015.

I understand that you realize the issue with the catch percentage, but you also must understand his being doubled and rotated on doesn't give him any excuse outside of Romo's hand. It doesn't explain the percentage remaining mostly the same, while a QB is being a lot less risky with the ball.

 

[Doomsday]

make it easier for him to get open

Wait - we're throwing to him when he is not open? Surely you're not trying to explain his incompletion percentage, with this? Or are you trying to say Dak is targeting him less, because he is covered?

It makes no difference, even with only ONE less target the last two years, he still has 46 fewer completions than Beasley. And it's not because we are throwing to him when he is not open, forcing balls to him. That myth is shattered.

 

[MrB]

Wait - we're throwing to him when he is not open? Surely you're not trying to explain his incompletion percentage, with this? Or are you trying to say Dak is targeting him less, because he is covered?

It makes no difference, even with only ONE less target the last two years, he still has 46 fewer completions than Beasley. And it's not because we are throwing to him when he is not open, forcing balls to him. That myth is shattered.

I'm not disagreeing with you. He definitely drops way more than he should. It's why I think there's a chance this could be his last season in Dallas. He's being paid to be a #1 and he was given the #88 but he's no Irvin or Drew.

My point was that if you already know he's dropping a lot of passes then why the hell do you run him on routes where the degree of difficulty of catching the pass is much higher. They need to call more plays where he's running across the middle of the field. Let him use that big body and his ability to run after the catch.

 

[dbair1967]

Dez drops a lot of balls?

OK

 

[dbair1967]

Thoughts?

Paralysis by analysis Dooms.

Let real football people stick to the football opinions. You need to be spending your time coming up with new banners and stuff.

 

[Doomsday]

Dez drops a lot of balls?

Perhaps you can explain why Beasley catches a large percentage more of the balls that come to him. But really, you never noticed Dez drops a lot of balls? Maybe you need to re-watch some of the games, with a little bit more critical eye.

Paralysis by analysis Dooms.

Let real football people stick to the football opinions. You need to be spending your time coming up with new banners and stuff.

You understand the difference between opinion and analysis, right?

I'm analyzing a set of statistics and asking opinions of what they mean, and I am also stating facts. I haven't given any opinions in this thread as yet.

You're welcome to give your opinion, explaining what you think this set of stats means, even though you're not a real football person either..

I'm not disagreeing with you.

I didn't mean to suggest you were, pardon. I was merely unsure if you were explaining the fewer targets, or the big percentage of incompletions.

 

[dbair1967]

Research can be your friend too Dooms.

Let me know where Dez Bryant is on this list of drops for 2016. Maybe YOU need to watch the games with a more critical eye (and not your typical "Dez sux!!!!" eyes)

2016 NFL Player RECEIVING Stats | Drops | FOX Sports

As for your questions. Beasley lines up mostly in the slot and draws nowhere near the same types of coverages that Bryant does. 1, he isnt as talented and teams tend to double or at minimum roll coverages Dez's way. 2 its the way they use him. Its harder to double guys in the slot, and when you combine that with the fact that Beaz runs mostly shorter routes its not hard to understand why he might catch a higher % of targets. He also does a great job getting open in short areas.

Also when it comes to "real football people" what I mean is you= not real football person vs rest of DCU= real football people

This has been well established Dooms based on post histories.

 

[Doomsday]

rest of DCU= real football people

There's only one real football person here, the rest of us are just message board posters. YOU are definitely not a "real football person" and if you think you are, that's a delusion.

Let me know where Dez Bryant is on this list of drops for 2016.

He gets credited for ONE drop, that's hilarious. Even you know that isn't even reasonably accurate. Which makes me wonder how a 'drop' is defined. I personally define it as any time the ball hits their hands and they somehow manage not to make the catch. Apparently it's more subjective than that and you see it the way the compilers of this stat see it. I see a LOT of balls come to Dez that I believe a 19 million dollar number one receiver should fucking CATCH. Do you really believe Dez dropped only ONE pass last year? That's a knee-slapper.

It's not even a official stat. It's not among them at nfl.com and that's likely because of the subjective nature of it.

As for your questions. Beasley lines up mostly in the slot and draws nowhere near the same types of coverages that Bryant does. 1, he isnt as talented and teams tend to double or at minimum roll coverages Dez's way. 2 its the way they use him. Its harder to double guys in the slot, and when you combine that with the fact that Beaz runs mostly shorter routes its not hard to understand why he might catch a higher % of targets. He also does a great job getting open in short areas.

Now see? That's a reasonable answer. You believe all of that is why the catch percentage vs. targets for Dez is so much less. That's fair to say. Why didn't you just say so?

I believe all of that is probably the reason Dak and even the scrubs who played in Romo's place in 2015, don't go Dez's way with the ball nearly as much as Romo tended to.

I also believe that when you read the "drop" stats further, you'll see other such "talented" receivers who get doubled on and rolled on just as much if not more, don't have that large of a percentage of incompletions vs. targets that Dez has. In fact nobody's even close.

So, you still haven't explained it beyond your own tendency to drool anytime Dez is mentioned.

 

[theoneandonly]

I'm pretty sure Dez isn't the brightest bulb in the marquee either.

His monkey thinks he's smart.

 

[theoneandonly]

I am in no way sticking up for Dez, I think he is over paid and over rated, always have. That said,my first thought when I look at those numbers is that Beasley runs much shorter routes, some of which are almost like a long hand off. A lot greater chance of an incompletion on a medium to long route. Just like in basketball, the further from the rim when shooting, the lower the field goal percentage.

 

[Doomsday]

I am in no way sticking up for Dez, I think he is over paid and over rated, always have. That said,my first thought when I look at those numbers is that Beasley runs much shorter routes, some of which are almost like a long hand off. A lot greater chance of an incompletion on a medium to long route. Just like in basketball, the further from the rim when shooting, the lower the field goal percentage.

That's fair, might even explain some of the difference in percentage of completion vs. number of targets. Explains why Dak doesn't go to Dez nearly as much as Romo did, too. But it really doesn't explain why this huge difference is just a Dez thing, and not every other #1 receiver in the league.

Plus in all fairness, Dez gets more throws to him in the end zone, where a defender always is present because he can't shake loose any coverage. Bailey can and does.

Adding Switzer should create nightmares for opposing secondaries.

 

[Omegasupreme]

Omega, you want to handle this?

I Don't know where to begin....

 

[Scot]

 

[Omegasupreme]

The offense is always on the brink of being a mess and in many ways the author of the mess is still Garrett. There are just many contradictions and square peg/round hole features to the offense that they always appear to be either falling a part or in the case of last year, being remedied enough by Linehan to show that there was obviously something wrong for all of those years. In he history of the Coryell, the only two successful features are a power running game which draws the defense to the LOS and then opens space for the the downfield routes. Or speed. In the last two times the conventional Coryell system has won the Super Bowl it was Warners Rams and Mannings Colts. Rams had speed and Colts had Edgerrin James. BUT both teams had their 1 and 2 WR with 4.4 speed or faster.
The Coryell offense tends to arrive big and then fizzle into repetition over time mainly because it's all the same route tree. If there is no slant or flat then the DBs basically determine the routes.

In the 8-8 years, Garrett preferred simple formations and claimed that Simple gave more options. He also claims that going 5 WRs creates mismatches. So here is where the unraveling happens: in a Coryell since each route is individual and not integrated like a WCO or EP, the route tree can be controlled individually by a DB (which happens with TWilly). Also there is usually a fade or fly route so by process of elimination the deep route can be sniffed out and eliminated. All of Dallas's receivers run with the ball well and have interior quickness but no deep speed. They are all dangerous after the catch. And as Bill Walsh pointed out: large quick WRs are perfect for a WCO because you want the ball quickly into their hands. Logically why would you send Dez on a low percentage distance pattern when you could get the same yard-gain result from a high percentage pass? But it gets worse: Derek Dooley waxed poetic about how Dallas has impact players which means Terrance Williams can only manage certain routes, Beasley was only allowed to run some routes but now can run more. But the irony is that Dooley was essentially bragging about a weakness. Plus once a WR comes into the game, the defense can determine what routes are coming (unless there is speed or power running). In the playoffs last year the commentator pointed out that all Packer WRs can run all the routes. So which coach has the most options in the passing game? Garrett who has impact WRs with limited routes per player and a simple formation system or McCarthy whose WRs can run all the routes at any time and each route has an impact on setting free and confusing the coverage?

So why can't Dez run more slants if it's so successful? First answer why Zeke gets pulled out of a game on third down or Beasley has to run fade routes. It's system theory first and then players. Linehan actually had the offense clicking on quick safe routes that were designed to protect Dak until the Vikings game where the media challenged Garrett and Linehan that there were minimal downfield plays. From there the nonsense from the 8-8 seasons crept back in and infested the Green Bay playoff game for the first three quarters.

 

[Doomsday]

From there the nonsense from the 8-8 seasons crept back in and infested the Green Bay playoff game for the first three quarters.

Until they noticed Dez getting single coverage due to the fear of Zeke. I just finished watching that game again and it was amazing to realize, GB didn't double or rotate to Dez, all game. And if ONLY he were allowed to run some more productive routes, he could have dominated them - or at the very least, made them double up on him. He had a great game yardage-wise anyway, great for his per-catch average.

Another thing I noticed was us having 2 or more receivers in the same area, over and over again. I have always heard this is a big no-no in the Coryell scheme, so I must assume we have all these veteran receivers running the wrong routes, in a playoff game.

Letting the defense 100 percent dictate what you do has a lot more drawbacks than advantages.