Cowboys’ Jason Garrett says “we have to run the ball more than 16 times”
By Mike Dyce
The Dallas Cowboys looked liked they abandoned the run game in the loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. On Monday, running back DeMarco Murray criticized the play calling as cautiously as he could.
“To be honest, I don’t know how many carries we had in the second half, we didn’t run it enough we kinda go to the pass,” Murray said, via ESPN Dallas. “It’s something (the) coaches are going to have to talk about and discuss.”
Head coach Jason Garret agreed and said the run game wasn’t working and why it was abandoned.
“We have to run the ball more than 16 times in the game, and we have to be able to run it throughout the game,” Garrett said on Monday, via the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram. “We just simply have to do a better job of that. We didn’t run the ball very well. Sixteen carries for 37 yards for just over 2 yards an attempt is not good enough.”
It’s hard to imagine that calling so many pass plays that when a run play is called they can’t get more than about 2 yards a carry. Garrett said it is a problem with the running backs and the offensive line.
“Not just the offensive line, but the tight end and the receivers getting involved blocking the secondary assignments,” Garrett said. “Certainly the runner has a lot to do with the success of the running game, seeing the holes, getting comfortable in the running game, seeing what the defense is trying to do and finding the softness in the defense.”