Dak Prescott's difficulties in the passing game go back

Dak Prescott's difficulties in the passing game go back further than a loss in the opener at Carolina for the Dallas Cowboys.Now that the slump has extended into a new season Youth Cam Newton Jersey , coach Jason Garrett and his staff must weigh the factors and when or whether to make changes to try to fix them.Six sacks of Prescott and little running room early for star back Ezekiel Elliott magnified two significant questions on the offensive line.Most of the focus, though, will remain on a revamped and largely unproven group of receivers trying to replace tight end Jason Witten and receiver Dez Bryant.Then there's the play-calling, with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan under siege from the unemployed Bryant on Twitter, along with the fans."I have a tremendous amount of faith in Scott," Garrett said Monday, a day after a 16-8 loss to the Panthers. "We just have to do a better job collectively as a staff and as an offensive unit. That starts with basic execution, play after play not beating ourselves and then finding ways to generate some big plays."Going into a suddenly important home opener against the New York Giants on Sunday night, Garrett also sounds as if the Cowboys will stick with the same five on the offensive line.Joe Looney is replacing four-time Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick, out indefinitely with a condition that affects his nerves. Rookie left guard Connor Williams was beaten twice for sacks by Kawann Short."Joe Looney ... looked like he did a pretty good job in the game," Garrett said. "Connor Williams, obviously it's a challenging task for him Week 1 to go against that defensive front. There were some good things for him. There's some areas in pass protection that wasn't good enough."Prescott had fewer than 200 yards passing for the seventh time in nine games. That stretch started when he was sacked a career-high eight times in a loss at Atlanta that triggered the Cowboys' slide out of playoff contention last year. It was also the beginning of Elliott's six-game suspension over domestic violence allegations.Elliott's presence didn't help much against the Panthers, and the question going forward is how the Cowboys can hope to live off the running game when they haven't shown they can be a threat throwing the ball.Focused on stopping Elliott first http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-mike-adams-jersey , the Panthers held the 2016 NFL rushing leader to 18 yards before halftime. Nearly half of Elliott's 69 yards, and his touchdown, came in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys had fallen behind 16-0.If the Cowboys want something resembling the remarkable rookie seasons of Prescott and Elliott two years ago, when they had an NFC-best 13 wins, they will need bigger numbers from the focal point of their offense earlier in the game."We've got to start faster," Elliott said after the game. "That's not Dallas Cowboys football. That's not how we've ever played. If we want to succeed, if we want to go out there and win ballgames, we can't come out there and lay an egg in the first half."Filling the void left by Witten and Bryant will probably look a lot as it did in the opener, except for draft-day trade acquisition Tavon Austin getting shut out. The speedy receiver and returner figures to have more of a role.Holdover Cole Beasley had the most targets (eight), catches (seven) and yards receiving (73). The rest were split among newcomers Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson and rookie Michael Gallup.No. 1 tight end Geoff Swaim had three catches, and backup Blake Jarwin was open for what would have been the biggest play of the game for Dallas if Prescott hadn't underthrown him."We think each of those guys has some strengths and they have some different things that they can bring to our offense," Garrett said. "We do think as we go forward that mixing those guys in and giving them all an opportunity to contribute will be a good thing for our team."The Cowboys have a long way to go to prove it.Panthers vs Bengals: Step UP or Step OUT; which players are hot and which are cold going into Week 3 Welcome back to the 2018 edition of Step UP or Step OUT Color Rush Shaq Thompson Jersey , a series on CSR that is intended to look at players who are playing well and highlight a few that need to step their game up. Think of it as a heat index for the Carolina Panthers; guys who are playing well are stepping up and those who aren’t need to improve their game or. . . step out.This week we’ll look at some guys that really popped off the screen during week two and need to maintain that intensity heading into our week three contest against the Cincinnati Bengals. The others mentioned, well. . . they need to play better or maybe just step out of the way and let someone else take over.Steppin’ UPChristian McCaffreyHeat Rating: A pizza roll, between two bagel bites, inside a pepperoni hot pocket.Through two weeks of the season, Christian “Deuce Deuce” McCaffrey has 234 yards from scrimmage, and has proven to be the most useful weapon Cam Newton has. More importantly, he has put to rest any kind of doubt in his toughness. This past week, the man steamrolled multiple defenders while fighting for first downs on more than one occasion, including pushing through the bear hug of a Falcons defensive line for a few extra clicks. It was impressive to see for a man his stature, and it’s only a taste of things to come.Cam Newton“Drip” level: Post Hurricane Florence humidity type drippin’Cam Newton was brilliant Sunday in a losing effort that was brought up through no fault of his own. He did take a couple of risky passes under pressure that were ill-advised and gladly didn’t end up as interceptions, but by and large, his receiver corps needs to play better. Cam found most of his success over the middle, and turned in an elite level completion percentage of 71% http://www.authenticscarolinapanthers.com/cheap-jarius-wright-jersey , despite five drops, gaudy enough to make even the most discerning hater take notice. If the offensive line can do their best Hodor impression against the Bengals, there is no reason to believe that Cam won’t have another really good day.Chris Clark and Taylor MotonHeat Rating: The grilled cheese sandwich in the middle of your panini pressFor two guys not expected to have starting jobs as tackles in the NFL at the beginning of the preseason, this was an impressive outing for these bookends. Particular kudos go to Chris Clark for only allowing two pressures on less than a week of practice. Taylor Moton didn’t allow a single one, even while having to switch back to the right side, and if you ask me, he is currently the team MVP. Steppin’ OUTTorrey SmithCold Rating: The hands of an outdoor wedding ice sculptureWhile he did catch a touchdown pass on Sunday, it doesn’t really make up for letting at least two passes slip straight through his hands earlier contributing to stalled drives. This has been a knock that has followed him his entire career, and it doesn’t look like the veteran has suddenly changed his ways. I expect that DJ Moore is going to start poaching some snaps from him sooner than later, or better yet, the added heat will bring out the best in him.Julius PeppersCold Rating: Currently frozen pot stickers that will soon unfreeze in my frying panWe have to remember that Julius is only currently heading into week three of the preseason, so at least this is going to be the dress rehearsal game, right? The future hall of famer’s impact has been extremely limited during the first two bouts of the year Youth Greg Olsen Jersey , and it’s time for him to wake up and step UP. Cameron Jordan seems to think a whole lot of him, and I know we all do as well, but if he’s going to continue his storied career, we need to start seeing something soon. Greg Van RotenCold Rating: Eh... more like a cold beverage that is starting to approach room temperatureI’ve got a lot of love for Greg Van Roten. He’s never given up on his dream, and has finally earned a starting job as a left guard for the Carolina Panthers through his determination. That said, he still has a lot to learn technique-wise. He has a tendency to get flat footed and lean his midsection in toward the defender he is blocking sometimes. What that does is ruin his power base, and the moment it happens you usually seem him go flying backward straight toward Cam Newton. It happened twice against the Falcons, and Geno Atkins will be terrorizing the interior for the Bengals. Greg will really need to be on his game for the Panthers to have a shot.