5 Things the Dallas Cowboys Must Do Well in 2016
The Dallas Cowboys will look to bounce back this season after a disastrous 4-12 season that saw quarterback Tony Romo miss most of the season due to injury.
The 2015 season was a season to forget for the Dallas Cowboys and their faithful fans. After finishing 4-12, the Cowboys are hoping to rebound in 2016 with the return of Tony Romo and the addition of rookie running back Ezekiel Elliot.
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Keeping Romo healthy is once again priority number one. When Romo is healthy, the Cowboys are a perennial playoff contender. When he gets hurt, they are one of the five worst teams in the league. The drop off is that significant.
The Cowboys not only need to keep Romo healthy, but they must play better defense as well. Dallas was ranked a respectable 17th in the league in total defense last season but Rod Marinelli’s unit must play better if the Boys want to make it back to the playoffs.
Here are five things the Cowboys must do well in 2016 if they want to get back to playoff contention.
1. Protect Tony Romo: Duh! The Cowboys go as Romo’s health goes. If he’s upright and playing, the Cowboys have a chance. If he’s not, the Cowboys are competing for a top five draft pick. It’s really that simple. The Cowboys vaunted offensive line needs to play better. They are the most talented group in the league but they were inconsistent last season.
2. Run the Football: Ezekiel Elliott rushed for 3,961 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career at Ohio State. He is the epitome of a bell cow running back. I think he might be better in Dallas’ two back offense than he was in Ohio State’s spread offense. Elliott is young and he can play all three downs. The Cowboys need to give him the ball 25 times a game and protect their injury prone quarterback and suspect defense. That’s why Jerry Jones drafted him.
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3. Turnover Differential : The Cowboys were last in the league last season in turnover differential at -22. They need to do a better job taking care of the football this season. They also need to generate more turnovers. The defense didn’t do enough last season to give the offense those extra possessions they needed when they were struggling.
4. Play Team Defense: The fact that Dallas finished 17th in the league in total defense is a testament to defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and the defensive staff. Marinelli didn’t have a lot to work with last season and he still doesn’t.
If the Cowboys are going to get back to the playoffs, they need to play better team defense. They need to get more consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks and their secondary has to limit the big plays. Dallas hasn’t had a top ten defense since 2009. I doubt this group will play top 10 caliber defense but they could better.
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5. Finish Drives: The Cowboys finished tied for 29th in red zone offensive efficiency at 44.4 percent last season. That’s bad. Dallas needs to finish more drives this season. The return of Romo helps but the addition of Elliott and more of an emphasis on the two-back, power running game should help in this area as well.