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I've always thought, "Go ahead and blitz. Dak Prescott and our wide receivers will make you pay." But the exact opposite has happened this season. Prescott and the receivers have not been able to produce against the blitz. Why is this happening? –* *David Nystrom**/Loudon, TN
Patrik: It is confounding, for sure. I do think it's a mix of variables all playing a part in forcing Prescott and the offense to struggle against the blitz, though. For one, alignment matters. One example is how the Cardinals would routinely blitz from the side of the field that Javonte Williams or Tyler Goodson was not on, as they should in a singleback set. The problem was the offense, oftentimes, didn't check out of that read and, boom, pressure or a sack. Another issue is that the middle of the field hasn't been exploited as it was in years past (Witten, Schultz, peak Ferguson) and so teams are comfortable sending a LB at the QB feeling no real seam threat, etc. etc. ... so, all told, it might be high time to insert far more motion to create eye candy for blitzers to contend with ... seriously ... seeing as the Cowboys are one of the worst in the league in that metric (hint).
Tommy: Not to deflect all of the blame away from the Cowboys, because they certainly are to blame for some of this, but I think a little bit of this is tipping your cap to defenses and defensive coordinators who are doing a really good job evolving their pass rushes and disguising looks. Brian Flores in Minnesota is the prime example of it, and I think that's a trend that's beginning to grow around the league.
Like I said, the Cowboys do share some of the blame for their struggles against it. Whether it be letting free rushers come in the A or B gaps as opposed to farther outside, or just not handling twists and stunts well at times, there are some faults that have come with themselves.
One of the things that Dak Prescott has been great at over his career has been serving as his own extra offensive lineman in a way, in the sense that he can figure out where pressure is coming from and get himself out of it. That hasn't been showcased as much this year, and Dallas needs to get back to that if they want to have success against some of these complex defenses.
Mailbag
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