With all the talk about how the Dallas Cowboys need to run more rising amongst fans and analysts, one thing is being overlooked. Sure, the Cowboys lost to Arizona partially because they gave up on running the ball but DeMarco Murray had not eclipsed 100 yards the two prior games either. What happened?
It is easy to see that, as the games wore on, defensive coordinators realized that DeMarco Murray was beating them. They stacked the line of scrimmage, realizing that Murray had no true blocking fullback, and dared Tony Romo to beat them. The problem is that Romo was missing his biggest weapon.
Romo no longer had the outside speed of starting wide receiver Miles Austin.
Romo had to go to the big Jason Witten, the possession receiver Laurent Robinson or the flashy Dez Bryant. None of these men give the Dallas passing offense the weapon that Austin does. Witten is a powerhouse but is someone who has been swarmed on the inside, taking him out of the game. Bryant is a playmaker but can't perform his best when he is the No. 1 target in an offense. Robinson will catch every touchdown thrown to him, but won't break free in most pass routes.
Therefore, teams stacked the line against Murray, stopped him, and then Romo was forced to throw dump and run patterns, which normally resulted in punt situations.
Against the New York Giants, fullback Tony Fiammetta returns and Murray will find holes opening up for him again. With this defensive strategy suddenly a little less effective, Romo is also getting back Austin this week. The return of Austin will cause double teams and less men guarding the line. It will open up the middle of the field for Witten and Bryant will be able to run free again.
Say what you want about Austin, and his production when he returned from his last hamstring injury was less than stellar, but he opens up the Dallas offense like no one else.
With Austin back, I won't be surprised to see Murray rebound as well. I won't be surprised to see Witten have his best game in weeks. I won't be surprised to see Bryant as a playmaker again. I won't be surprised if the Dallas Cowboys beat the New York Giants.
Author Shawn S. Lealos has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma (2000) and has been a Dallas Cowboys' fan since he was a child. His favorite players range from Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett to the Triplets of the 90s and he enjoys talking about all Cowboys' related news, good or bad
Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.
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