Michael Irvin: Cowboys Playcaller Linehan Being Outcoached
DALLAS (105.3 THE FAN) -- Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant was held without a catch for the first 58 minutes in Sunday's loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Yes, backup Brandon Weeden was making his first start since last December with Cleveland, but a former Cowboys great thinks there are bigger problems in Dallas.
Hall of Famer receiver Michael Irvin thinks coaches are asking too much out of their star receiver.
"I don't think he's getting much help," said Irvin to The G-Bag Nation on 105.3 The Fan.
Irvin is quick to discard the idea that Bryant is simply getting outplayed.
"They'll put a guy over the top of Dez, but that safety always lurks over the top. The guys in the booth keep talking 'He's shutting him down 1-on-1.' It's not really 1-on-1. You have help, so you're able to be very, very, very physical at the line of scrimmage, which wears the receiver down. You're just beating on the receiver knowing I don't have to worry about up top. I can play him tight because I've got safety help."
Michael Irvin with The Nation
Irvin believes there are a few adjustments the coaching staff could make to help Bryant in double coverage. The Cowboys just haven't shown a willingness to do so.
"We're obviously having some problems with this kind of coverage, so stop staggering the receivers and let's talk bunch setting the receivers and running double in routes and double out routes. Once you bunch the receivers, now I've got the corners having to play off and inside and out."
Using combo and rub routes would alleviate the pressure Bryant receives at the line of scrimmage, said Irvin. He believes that everyone else in the league, including Arizona, does this.
"It's impossible to cover that. It's impossible. And we haven't gone to it yet. It blows my mind."
So is playcaller and passing game coordinator Scott Linehan being out-coached?
"That is definitely what is happening," said Irvin. "I would love for somebody to say, let's start bunching these sets up; let's start coming off some rub routes; let's stop trying to make [Dez] beat everybody on the field. It's impossible. Let's give him some help in these situations."
Others have speculated that Bryant's Sunday performance -- which included two dropped passes -- has something to do with his contract negotiations and decision to switch agents.
READ: Dez On Being A 'Cowboy For Life'
Irvin isn't so sure this distraction has a negative impact on performance. In fact, he believes it provides fuel to make guys fight for what they feel they deserve.
"There are distractions you deal with all the time," said Irvin. "Yes, it's a distraction. But it also is good for you."
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