Rodgers Vs. McCarthy & Cowboys 'Pre-Snap Motion'
ARLINGTON - It sounded so inviting to Dallas Cowboys fans as soon as new head coach Mike McCarthy arrived talking about fresh concepts involving stuff like "advanced analytics'' and "pre-snap motion'' - ideas that were not completely embraced by his predecessor.
And then Sunday's Week 1 game at Los Angeles unfolded, the Rams winning 20-17 ... and the "new'' Cowboys, in at least those two departments, seemingly mirroring the old Cowboys.
The 17 points is a problem. The "how they got there'' is as well.
And if they do it again today in Week 2 against the visiting Falcons (noon) here at AT&T Stadium? It'll be a problem again.
If you read this space, you know that we don't over-do the criticism of "play-calling'' and "lack of creativity.'' There are subtleties in every game plan and even in every play that the naked eye of the observer won't pick up unless he literally has a grasp of a team's playbook.
But "pre-snap motion''? This is a tool (ironically maybe best-utilized by the Rams) that can keep defenses on their heels. And McCarthy has claimed that he spent last season out of football catching up on many concepts. ... and then, once hired by Dallas, gave public voice to the same.
And then came Sunday. And it wasn't really in play. ... And along with that, a remark from his old QB in Green Bay, Aaron Rodgers.
“For a long time around here, I didn’t want any motion,” Rodgers said. “And Mike didn’t like a lot of motion, either. We just kind of lined up and went.”
Oh. Coach, your Thursday explanation?
Here’s how McCarthy responded on Thursday. ... with me cutting down the quote way down from all the words he actually offered.
“In the early years (in Green Bay), we were definitely more pre-snap motion and shifting. But as your offense changes, you have to evolve. And really a lot of the credit goes to Aaron because of his ability to recognize defenses and have an understanding at the line of scrimmage. (That) is something as an offense and a staff that we felt we wanted to tap into. That’s really the chess game you play as a coordinator.
“And when it’s over a 10-year period, you obviously evolve because you never stay the same. Personal preference, I have to go back to my early years in the early 2000s when I was with the Saints, I was shift and motion getting off the bus because I think there’s a lot of information that you can gather through that. Every team you coach is different. Every offense that you put in is a bit different. It always starts with the quarterback.
“Obviously Dak (Prescott) is experienced and can handle both shift and motion or defense recognition at the line of scrimmage, playing at a high tempo. I think the most important thing is you have to have both. You can’t just tilt too far to one and not the other. We did get away from it there at the end of my time there, but a lot of that was a credit to Aaron’s ability to get the information that was needed at the line of scrimmage and try to play fast.”
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Oh. But ... what, now? We specifically asked McCarthy a follow-up about the sparse use of the tool at L.A.
"I think when get into games,'' he said, "games don't always go as you think they are going to go. When they do that means you are having a great day. I really don't want to get into the specifics of the plan here. Whether or you play uptempo or you don't, it's really how the game goes. I think the one thing you have recognize in the game in L.A.. our defense on the field a long time so that also factors in sometimes how you may adjust offensively.''
McCarthy also referenced "nuisance shifts,'' saying, "You are really shifting and motion to just so the media can say, "Wow, look at that. They at shifting and motioning!''
We find that to be an odd concession; coaches call games to cause sportswriters to exclaim, "Wow!''?
McCarthy also spent the offseason touting his new-found appreciation for analytics - something for which he once had great distaste.
He has since reversed that position. But did he reverse it because he's suddenly, at age 55, a believer in something he dismissed for pretty much his previous 54 years? Or did he reverse it because it sounds "fresh'' and "hip'' for an unemployed coach to let the world know that he suddenly digs cool stuff like "advanced analytics'' and "pre-snap motion''?
You know, like, "Wow!''?
When the best football minds in the league are all leaning on the same thing, it’s worth taking notice. So how much motion did the Dallas Cowboys employ in Week 1? Not enough to appear to be very analytically-minded.
Under Jason Garrett, the Cowboys had a definitive philosophy about simply "beating the man across from you.'' That's easier to do if you're the 1992 Cowboys ... but not so easy today. Teams that begin NFL seasons 0-2 essentially have a 90-percent chance of missing the playoffs. That's not "advanced'' and it's not "Wow!'' - it's a simple fact that must be recognized, as should the fact that these Dallas Cowboys aren't good enough to forfeit any possible strategic edge available.
