NFC Notes: Kellen Moore, Cowboys, Rams, Allen Robinson

Cowboys

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that the most surprising aspect of Week 1’s loss to the Buccaneers was their “inability to sustain plays.” 

“I think our inability to sustain plays you need in any successful drive or certainly a successful game, you need to have a certain number of over 10 or 15-yard plays. Those are incremental to sustaining drives. We didn’t get any of those. I think we got one to their 10 or 11 there, the first two or three quarters. We are going over the entire game at 10 this morning with our staff, and we’ll really do it. We spent most of time yesterday on quarterback issues. The bottom line is we couldn’t sustain really an offensive effort,” said Jones, via the Dallas Morning News. 

Jones added that their defense was “up to the task” despite Tampa Bay having success in the run, but reiterated that their offense was unable to get going. 

“I thought that our defense gave them a normal offensive output or a more balanced offensive output. I thought our defense was up to the task. Although you look at the stats, they did get to running on us pretty good, especially when they saw what they could do outside. In general, I think the story of the game was our inability to get any offense going. I thought we ran the ball reasonably well and early, but what I thought we miscued is we couldn’t get third downs. That came about with penalties. That came about by just not making the play. And, so, you say, ‘Well, can you correct that?’ We better correct it or you can’t compete in the NFL. We can compete.”

Jones thinks that first-round OT Tyler Smith did well filling in at left tackle for Tyron Smith. 

“The one that I’m really proud of is Tyler Smith. I think by any definition you got to give him his due to come in there and have his first game in the NFL and start at left tackle. We know what a prospect he is, but we think he held his stead real good there. I thought our center played really well. We can win a lot of games with him having that kind of game at center. So, there’s some things to look at, but not much to smile about because of just literally how we didn’t meet the task at all. And that has to be corrected.”

Kellen Moore

Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy plans to watch over OC Kellen Moore‘s game plan in Week 2 as QB Cooper Rush takes over for injured QB Dak Prescott.

“My job is to make sure all three coordinators are teed up to be successful,” McCarthy said during his press conference. “I make sure that Kellen knows that I’m there; we’re going to take a lap today through the call sheet- maybe a little longer than we normally do.”

“That’s all part of growing as a playcaller,” McCarthy added. “Let’s be honest, in Kellen’s time as a coordinator, he’s been able to play very, very aggressively. But we’re in a phase right now where we’ve got to be a little smarter in certain situations.”

“We did a little extra work yesterday on third down,” McCarthy continued. “The Mojo Moment was all third downs. I really liked it, because our competitive periods- and we’re doing more of it than I’ve done, I know, in my years up north- I think it not only helps our football team, but it really helps our young guys, too. Kellen and the offensive staff have been working on this since April, longer than April. We’ve just got to trust what we’ve built on our menu. You’ve got to adjust when you have change in the lineup. The most important thing is not to overreact. I just want [Moore] to feel that from me. I’ve got to do a better job; we’ve all got to do a better job.”

Rams

The Rams’ biggest offseason addition was WR Allen Robinson, but he was nearly invisible in the season-opening loss to the Bills. He was targeted just twice and finished with one catch. However, Robinson is taking it in stride and not expecting too many more games like that. 

“Everybody wants to get opportunities,” Robinson said via Jeff Miller of the Los Angeles Times. “In some games, that’s how it goes sometimes. So … go back to the drawing board and try to figure out how we can get better.”