New playcaller Scott Linehan believes the Dallas Cowboys offensive line is good enough that the team should be able to run the ball at will.
The team has overhauled the line through the draft over the past few years, and will enter the 2014 season with three first round picks up front, in left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and right guard (probably) Zack Martin, who Dallas selected with the 16th overall pick in the draft earlier this month.
“This is a great young front,” Linehan said, per the Dallas Morning News. “It was already an offensive line that was really meshing and playing well. We don’t have to have this certain look to run the ball. We feel like we can line up and say, ‘Hey, if they’re going to drop guys into the box, we still feel like we’ve got the guys that can get it done.’ And then that helps everything. That opens everything on the outside of the field.”
Linehan has a history of passing the ball a lot, and running sparingly, but he said shortly after arriving that he planned on leaning on DeMarco Murray and the ground game in Dallas. What’s more, last year in Detroit, he oversaw a rushing attack that posted a total of 1,792 yards, which could be taken as a sign that he’s open to committing to the ground game if the weapons are there.
“That was as good as they have done in 10 years,” Linehan said of Detroit. “You just lean to your personnel.”
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