Inside The Star
Regression and injuries can be seen across many position groups of the Dallas Cowboys. The most significant regression is in a group once considered one of the best in the NFL.
As fans look up and down the roster holes, a lack of talent can be seen at every level. This coaching staff’s inability to adapt to the players on the roster is a significant issue.
The offensive line’s inability to adapt has been ever-present. The offensive line affects every skill position on the offensive side of the ball, and the product from this group can be seen every week.
Mike Solari is, by all accounts, a well-regarded offensive line coach in the NFL, but his best days may be behind him.
Fans have watched this offensive line be shuffled around to find the right combination. Maybe it’s not the players but the scheme and the coach.
The offensive line has been up and down the last few years, and in the running game, the inside zone scheme and power scheme could be causing issues.
The running game in 2024 is ranked 31st at 81.7 yards per carry. Part of this is the running backs and the failure to keep Ezekiel Elliott off the field, but the scheme also plays a big part.
In 2023, the running game with the same scheme ranked 15th. 2022 saw the running game ranked 9th, and in 2021, the running game was ranked 9th.
2021 was also the first year that Mike Solari took over the offensive line. Two years in the top ten was great, but the offensive line players fit the molds of inside zone and power schemes.
The regression can be seen in the running game, and the rookies on the offensive line are less powerful and more agile. Running an outside zone scheme could get the athletic linemen in space and allow them to use their strength, which is athletic ability.
In 2024, the passing game saw the quarterback get sacked 2.9 times a game. In 2023, the quarterback was sacked 2.4 times a game; in 2022, the sacks given up per game were 1.5.
The sacks are piling up year after year. Again, the scheme and possibly the technique are just not working.
Is it the scheme, technique, or players? The scheme seems terrible if you are a stat person, and the defenses know how to overcome the techniques.
Mike Solari has been around the league long enough to know the NFL is a copycat league.
It is not difficult to look around the NFL at other offensive lines with the same type of personnel. He has been an offensive line coach long enough to see what other teams are doing and break it down to fit his players.
One thing is for sure: the front office may take the coaches’ opinion on players drafted into account, but Jerry Jones and the company...
