The 2016 Dallas Cowboys<\/strong> represent one of the fascinating team success stories in the last decade of the NFL. The Cowboys have always been around during the past few seasons. They’ve been in the conversation, but not really in legitimate Super Bowl<\/strong> contention. Tony Romo<\/a><\/strong>, fairly or not, was receiving a ton of criticism. While being a great regular season quarterback, he always had found ways to blow it when the stakes mattered. That was his reputation.<\/p>\n Now things are different. Unexpectedly so. The Cowboys entered 2016 with hype. Tony Romo was finally healthy, after breaking the same collarbone twice in 2015. They drafted Ezekiel Elliott<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0fourth overall, making him only the third running back drafted that high in the past decade. They’d be lining up Romo and “Zeke” behind arguably the best\u00a0offensive line assembled this century, and Dez Bryant<\/a><\/strong> was finally healthy. Things were looking up for the Cowboys.<\/p>\n Then, in week three of the preseason, Romo suffered compression fractures in his back, causing him to have surgery. This was his third major back injury since the start of 2013. All of a sudden, the much hyped Cowboys were done. It was unsure how long Romo would be out. Ian Rapoport<\/strong>\u00a0had reported<\/a> that, if all went well, the Cowboys would target a week eight return for Romo. All of a sudden, the rookie fourth-round pick – the eighth quarterback taken in the 2016 draft – was forced into action. Enter Dak Prescott<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n There was a hint of optimism in San Francisco<\/strong> over the hiring of Chip Kelly<\/strong>. No one really knew what to expect. There was a feeling\u00a0around the league\u00a0that removing his power over personnel decisions and limiting him to just coaching would make for a good fit. Some were still skeptical of whether or not his offensive style could ever fit in the league Some thought he was constantly leaving his defense out to dry.<\/p>\n Fans were captivated by the thought of Chip Kelly being united with Colin Kaepernick<\/a><\/strong> in San Francisco. Kaepernick is just what people pictured in a Chip Kelly quarterback – he is incredibly athletic and big enough to take some hits if needed. But people overlooked that the flaws in his game are things that Kelly really needs to run his offense. Kaepernick still can’t process reads quickly enough, make fast decisions, and is still incredibly inaccurate with the football.<\/p>\n While it may not be fair to judge Kelly’s 1-10 stint with the 49ers<\/strong> so far, thing’s aren’t looking great for him. Sure he has inherited a roster devoid of quality NFL talent at many positions, but 10 game losing streaks rarely end well for head coaches. It doesn’t help his case that arguably\u00a0the best team in football right now is taking a completely opposite approach to the game that Kelly is, and they are winning.<\/p>\n Through week twelve,\u00a0the 49ers are running a play once every 24.40 seconds on offense. This is the fastest time in the league by over a full second. They also happen to rank dead last in time of possession per game. Now, the time for possession and speed of play\u00a0don’t have to be completely inverted. Teams\u00a0can control the ball respectably\u00a0while running plays quickly if you are moving the ball and sustaining drives. The New Orleans Saints<\/strong>, for example, are the fifth fastest offense in terms of time per play, but rank sixth in\u00a0time of possession. Baltimore<\/strong> and Arizona<\/strong> also rank in the top 10 of both categories.\u00a0The Cowboys, on the other hand, are only running a play every 29.60 seconds, the slowest team in the entire NFL. They also happen to be the top team in time of possession per game.<\/p>\n While both teams sport\u00a0a run-first offense, Dallas runs the ball the highest percentage\u00a0out of any team and SF is fourth, the way that they go about running the ball is completely different. San Francisco runs the ball from many gimmicky situations. They usually run out of the shotgun with three receivers spreading out the field. Kelly\u00a0tries to give teams new looks every game, running from new formations or new concepts. With the Cowboys, Jason Garrett<\/a><\/strong> and Scott Linehan<\/strong> have just abandoned 21st-century football. They’ve reverted back to the old-school ground and pound mechanics. They’re taking advantage of their sensational offensive line to just open up holes for their young, talented running back.<\/p>\n Dallas and San Francisco are also similar on the defensive side of the ball. Both teams sit in the bottom six in team defensive DVOA, a Football Outsiders <\/strong>efficiency\u00a0stat. But because of the style of play that Dallas has adopted, they’ve been able to shadow their bad defense. They keep the defense out of the fire and get\u00a0them fresh to start nearly every drive. While both teams have bottom six defenses by advanced stats, Dallas is giving up only 19.4 points per game (fifth in the league) compared to 31.3 points per game that the San Francisco defense is giving up (last in the league). This is nearly entirely due to Dallas’\u00a0ability to control the clock.<\/p>\n Well, there’s certainly one easy thing to look at. The Dallas Cowboys are 10-1, a favorite to lock up a first-round bye and home field advantage in the NFC. The 49ers, on the other hand, are 1-10 and seemingly a lock for a top-five pick in the draft next year. Dallas is ranked second in total overall team DVOA and San Francisco is ranked 27th.<\/p>\n Whether this is completely a Chip Kelly problem is yet to be seen. He had shown success in Philadelphia with two 10-6 seasons, running essentially the same offense he is running now. Clearly,\u00a0playing\u00a0at the pace Kelly wants leaves his defense at a huge disadvantage when his offense can’t sustain drives. It seems obvious that more teams with suspect defenses should turn to the Dallas approach. Some teams try and simply don’t have the pieces to succeed. Some teams just don’t want to try. And in some cases, this major philosophy difference can be the difference between ten wins, and one win.<\/p>\n Main Photo:<\/p>\nChip Kelly’s Arrival in San Francisco<\/h3>\n
Why Time of Possession and Pace of Play Matters<\/h3>\n
What does all of this mean?<\/h3>\n