I'd been wondering why the Cowboys were having so much trouble running the ball, but it seems they maybe found an answer. To my untrained eyes, the offensive line's blocking scheme was a lot different against Pittsburgh. Did the coaches figure out that zone blocking wasn't working? – Chris Christensen/Simi Valley, CA
Mickey: Not sure there was a one-week blocking scheme change mastered in like two practices, as much as the coordination was much better. And not just with the front five, but with the running backs working with the offensive linemen. Cowboys offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer points out how they have been preaching patience to RB Rico Dowdle, to not hit the prescribed hole so fast. Let it develop. The preached philosophy is "slow to go." As he said, "slow to the hole, fast through the hole." He compared it to "synchronized swimming," meaning the running backs have to be in tune with the offensive line. Remember Rico has never been the guy he is developing into, so maybe the experience is starting to pay off.
Patrik: Define "changed" here. If you're asking about an overhaul from the zone scheme to the power scheme, the only way we will know is over the next several games. If you're asking if it changed in the moment, the answer is a resounding "yes", because that's what happened in Pittsburgh and it helped the Cowboys to finally get their ground game going; and against a Steelers' front that ranked No. 2 in the league in stopping the run, no less. I'm sure that will give confidence to the Cowboys in potentially making that change going forward but, again, only time will tell. It's also key to note that the change happened due to injury, which begs the question of if it was a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency move or if Mike McCarthy was leaning toward doing it anyway going into that game.
