The Cowboys may have temporarily silenced the red zone critics with a back shoulder fade for six points from Romo to Austin, but they opened up a whole new can of worms with an absolutely dismal performance by the first, second and third team offense. And while all eyes were on Robert Brewster, who was making the start at right tackle in place of injured Marc Colombo, it was lackluster play from just about every other position besides tackle that left a bad taste in the mouth of Cowboys fans.
Is it time to be concerned?
Not so much. This is preseason, after all. And while that doesn't excuse the poor performance, fans should realize that these games are designed as training exercises, with the number one goal being to evaluate the players on the field.
This has a big effect on playcalling. For example, when you take away scrambles by the quarterback, the Cowboys are averaging only 22 rushing attempts per game, which comes in at close to 35% of their plays. In the last three regular season games last year, the Cowboys ran the ball on average 30 times per game, which amounts to a little over 45% of their plays.
The idea of keeping their three-headed rushing attack fresh could be playing a part in being a bit more pass heavy. Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Tashard Choice hardly need much evaluation, and considering how banged up they've been over the past couple of years, keeping the running plays on the light side certainly makes sense.
In some ways, the lackluster performance by the offense can actually be a good thing. It is certainly a wake up call that nothing is pre-ordained and if the offense thinks they already have a ticket to that Dallas Super Bowl, they better think again.
But let's remember that this is the same basic offense that ranked number two in the NFL last year. And while the players on the field are mostly the same, there are three reasons why this year's Cowboys offense can be even more explosive: (1) We don't have to wait until week 5 to find out that Miles Austin is our go-to guy, (2) Dez Bryant will provide an additional playmaker to Tony Romo's set of toys and (3) Doug Free will provide better play and fewer penalties while protecting Romo's blindside.
So I wouldn't worry about the offense just yet. Saturday's performance was a little embarrassing, but you don't win championships in preseason. Let's wait until they start showcasing their real offense in the regular season before we get too up in arms about what we see on the field.
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