Good News: Running Game is Being Fixed
They definitely say it every year, but this year they appear to have a much better plan.
About four weeks ago – before we all got caught up trying to chase down a Stanley Cup – I hinted at the Cowboys beautiful mystery about their offensive plan.
Since then – the next day, to be exact – they targeted and acquired George Pickens to really make the passing game far-more threatening.
Of course, modern offense is all about combining the run and the pass in such a way that an opponent is uncertain of your attack as the play begins, so we know that the quote we pulled that day from new head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a lot of information packed in one paragraph:
“I’m a big believer in cut splits. I’m a big believer in shifts and motions to distort things. We’re going to do a great job of marrying our runs and our passes and make those look the same. I’m proud to say that two different times in my career as a coordinator we led the league in rushing.”
Now, I do think that you will want to start with that piece that I will offer you here as a starter for this one today and I assume the studies that will follow. There are a ton of moving pieces, hints that might not mean anything, and wait-and-see propositions.
All of that established, I do want to begin diving in on the hiring of new Offensive Coordinator Klayton Adams and Offensive Line Coach Conor Riley and how they will join forces and build up this running game based on what they have accomplished most recently.
Let’s start with the OL coach first (since I have less to say). Riley is in from Kansas State and North Dakota State as an offensive mind who worked plenty with Cooper Beebe and Deuce Vaughn.
I know I preach not to get involved with “helmet scouting,” but when we talk about two universities who have won in the trenches on a regular basis, those two schools know what they are doing. He spent six seasons at each place and made the move with head coach Chris Klieman in 2019. I don’t know much about Riley, but 12 years with Klieman and eventually became his offensive coordinator suggests that he knows how to win up front.
Now, let’s talk Klayton Adams.