thehbrwhammer Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 http://nflbreakdowns.com/alfred-morris-fit-dallas-cowboys/ NFC InceAst continues as Alfred Morris signed with the Dallas Cowboys in a 2 yr $3.5M ($1.8M GTD) contract. In this breakdown, I wanted to see how he'd fit in Dallas' blocking scheme. Well, the interesting thing is that the Cowboys and Redskins have the same blocking scheme. Why is that? Bill Callahan and Frank Pollack. That's why! The offensive line coaches worked together in Dallas from 2012-2014 building an awesome offensive line before the 'Skins stole Callahan to be their oline coach. Pollack was the assistant and got promoted. This breakdown looks at the scheme, looks at Alfmo's skill-set, and then looks at what went wrong in 2015, and why it's possible he could be more successful behind Dallas' line. Let me know if you have any questions! Note: While this caters towards the Cowboys, you can look at our scheme and why Morris wasn't as successful in our scheme as he was in previous seasons. As a side note, I've been trying for the past 4 months to remember my password and use the "Forge the Password button (hence my disappearance) and I had no luck until this morning. Here are some of the other articles I've written this season on the 'Skins. http://nflbreakdowns.com/tag/washington-redskins/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC9 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I did a thread at the beginning of the 2014 season about how Morris clashes with the counter-gap and ISO blocking. His strengths are his vision, and what looks like patience but is really his 4.7 40 yard dash (don't worry, Terrell Davis had the same "problem"). At his his best, he is an ideal fit for a ZBS where he'll excel at outside zone. Only problem is I think he has lost a step from that 4.6/4.7 speed and he also developed some hesitance. I think he'll have some mixed results with Dallas, but I don't think we'll rue the day we let him walk. At some point we have to become the team that lets good players walk because we have better players waiting. That's what good teams do. Good thread OP and excellent breakdowns at the link. Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehbrwhammer Posted March 31, 2016 Author Share Posted March 31, 2016 I did a thread at the beginning of the 2014 season about how Morris clashes with the counter-gap and ISO blocking. His strengths are his vision, and what looks like patience but is really his 4.7 40 yard dash (don't worry, Terrell Davis had the same "problem"). At his his best, he is an ideal fit for a ZBS where he'll excel at outside zone. Only problem is I think he has lost a step from that 4.6/4.7 speed and he also developed some hesitance. I think he'll have some mixed results with Dallas, but I don't think we'll rue the day we let him walk. At some point we have to become the team that lets good players walk because we have better players waiting. That's what good teams do. Good thread OP and excellent breakdowns at the link. Thank you. I agree with the ZBS outside zone comments as his best fit. He still isn't the best at setting up blocks and he doesn't have the lateral agility to cleanly break big runs. I think with their blocking ability, mainly TEs, he can fit there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LD0506 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Nice work, thanks for sharing it, especially in the football doldrums of March. I have to wonder whether Morris' problems stemmed in part from coaching. He appeared so hesitant in a way he wasn't before, almost as if he was running new lines of code added to his program. I'm an "if it ain't broke...." kinda guy and to see Morris (and DY as well) under/misused didn't make a lot of sense to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koolblue13 Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 I'm glad you're back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sean and Laron show Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 Nice work After looking at the cowboys o-line gifs vs our o-line it's obvious that our center isn't anywhere close to being as good a Travis Frederick. You confirmed my observation with your final point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clskinsfan Posted March 31, 2016 Share Posted March 31, 2016 You would think Dallas would add more outside zone to use when Morris is in the game. Morris struggles with reads inside. And doesnt have the speed or athleticism to make up for a bad read. He is still an excellent outside zone runner IMO and seems to play better with more touches. I went back and watched his game against GB in the playoffs. He actually played very well in that game. But like a lot of his time with Gruden had limited opportunities. He obviously struggles in the passing game as well. This is not an indictment against Gruden at all. As I am sure he had a hard time trusting Morris in his system. But it is a little surprising to me that Dallas decided to sign him. Unless like I said earlier they are going to change the way they call games with Morris on the field. Anyways. Great write up and site. I really enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyHolt Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I had no idea the center was as important in the run game as OP states... I used to think it was the least important of the 5 OL spots WRT run blocking, since he kind of gets 'lost in the wash' for lack of a better phrase. Why is the center so important? The center position in any zone running concepts is typically responsible for reach blocking the nose tackle/defensive tackle after the snap. Having a good center that can stop immediate penetration is extremely important to give the running back time to make the proper reads. I find it interesting Kory was ranked with Ribs at THE bottom of the league in run blocking at PFF. Perhaps his move to center 2 years ago had a hand in Morris's slow demise - I wonder what Kory;s rankings were 2 years ago. I figure he struggled in the power scheme Jay started to mix in. While Kory does great at the 2nd level, running right past the nose/DT is not much to brag about, especially when the back isn't getting there. And the nose largely lets you go by. One thing I have never totally bought into but know i am alone in my thinking, is that back A needs touches, yet back B doesn't, and nor does the QB and any other players on offense. A back that "needs touches" should often be making poor reads and missing holes to open games. I just don't see that, instead often see many teams score on their opening drives. And lessor backs in less touches seem to maintain averages comparable to starters. I think a back that needs touches is code for: they need lots of touches before they can be expected to break a big run, and is true of all starting RBs. This theory should be tested quickly in little D if Morris is the #2 RB since he has that label. Thanks OP for a great article detailing the run game of the 2 teams. Moar please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hubbs Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 Nice post, man. I think Gruden's always known that Morris wasn't the best fit for the kind of blocking he ultimately wants. Any chance you've got enough film to make a comparison between Alf and Matt Jones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thehbrwhammer Posted April 1, 2016 Author Share Posted April 1, 2016 Nice post, man. I think Gruden's always known that Morris wasn't the best fit for the kind of blocking he ultimately wants. Any chance you've got enough film to make a comparison between Alf and Matt Jones? It's possible later in the summer I'll do one. I want to see what Matt Jones offers in our scheme and why our coaches are confident in him getting more carries. Next article is on Vernon Davis' fit in the blocking scheme: Will be released this weekend I think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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