Tag: Storylines

Running backs don’t matter when they have to run behind this Cowboys OL

The Cowboys have plenty of reasons that their run game has been ineffective so far in the 2024 season, says @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys have the eighth-worst rushing attack in the league, averaging only 85 yards per game. It is easy to see the lack of talent in the running back room and blame that for why the performance is poor. Ezekiel Elliott, averaging only 3.5 yards per rush, is the only NFL running back with at least 10 attempts not to break a single tackle. Rico Dowdle isn’t much better at 3.7 an attempt, and Deuce Vaughn, who is supposed to be the explosive back in the room, is averaging only three yards a rush.

The running back room hasn’t been great, but a deeper dive tells a story that not many rushers would succeed in this offense.

In Week 1, the Cowboys faced 2023’s best defense at home in a healthy Cleveland Browns team. In Week 2, the Saints scored 21 points on their first 12 plays, and Dallas was so far behind on the scoreboard the team couldn’t run the ball. The team didn’t play games conducive to running the ball well in the first two weeks, and now the Baltimore Ravens, with the best run defense through two weeks, are up next.

Saquon Barkley would be limited in these situations; it isn’t a running back issue in these games.

Dallas’ offensive line is hardly helping matters this season, and Travis Frederick isn’t walking through the locker room door. Their first-round offensive tackle, Tyler Guyton, is ranked 62nd in run blocking. There are 64 starting tackles in the NFL, so Guyton is almost the worst starter in the league. Fellow rookie Cooper Beebe is ranked 22nd amongst centers, bottom third of the position. Their two All-Pro offensive guards, Tyler Smith and Zack Martin are shockingly bad at 32nd and 37th, respectively. Terence Steele is the one player doing well on the OL, 9th as a run blocker. Even when the line does its job, the run game is only impactful if all players are making blocks and the receivers on Dallas have missed the mark as well. Brandin Cooks is the 10th-worst run blocker at his position, and Jalen Tolbert is the fifth worst.

The running back position in Dallas isn’t ideal, but the worry about the team’s ineffective rushing attack shouldn’t be focused on upgrading that position yet. Trading draft capital for a running back only for him to be stuck in poor situations with bad blocking isn’t going to change anything, and that isn’t even considerig the play-calling. The Cowboys must show they can set the running back up for success before finding better backs to take advantage of it.

Wisconsin Badgers arrive at UW-Platteville for 2024 training camp

Wisconsin Badgers arrive at UW-Platteville for 2024 training camp

The 2024 Wisconsin Badgers have officially arrived at UW-Platteville to begin training camp in preparation for the upcoming season.

The team will practice on the neighboring campus until Aug. 12, including a practice open to the public on Aug. 10. It will then return to Madison, Wisconsin for the final two weeks before opening the season on Friday, Aug. 30 against Western Michigan.

Related: Position battles to follow as Wisconsin Badgers begin 2024 fall training camp

There are a host of captivating storylines entering the fall training camp period, none bigger than the performance of Phil Longo’s offense in its second year at the program.

Longo’s offense is sure to receive day-to-day discussion and evaluation. Otherwise, training camp will see a host of impactful transfer additions play significant roles, a quarterback competition (kind of) and a first look at the program-best class of 2024 in action.

Before the on-field action begins on Tuesday, Wisconsin’s social media team documented the Badgers’ arrival on Monday:

 

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2024 Preseason Previews

Big Ten Team Previews: Indiana Hoosiers — Purdue Boilermakers — Illinois Fighting Illini — Northwestern Wildcats — Minnesota Golden Gophers — Nebraska Cornhuskers — Iowa Hawkeyes — Rutgers Scarlet Knights — Maryland Terrapins — Michigan State Spartans — USC Trojans — UCLA Bruins — Washington Huskies — Michigan Wolverines — Penn State Nittany Lions — Ohio State Buckeyes — Oregon Ducks — Wisconsin Badgers

Big Ten Position Previews: Quarterbacks — Running Backs — Wide Receivers — Offensive Lines — Tight Ends — Defensive Line — Linebackers — Cornerbacks — Safeties

Wisconsin Position Previews: Quarterback — Running Back

Saints vs Falcons: 4 most important storylines in Week 18 game

There’s no more important storyline in Saints vs. Falcons than each team’s playoff hopes. What are the 4 biggest storylines in Week 18?

The New Orleans Saints walk into the season finale versus the Atlanta Falcons with everything on the line. To boil the importance of this game simply, the loser of this game is eliminated from the playoffs. The winner of this game would win the division if Tampa Bay loses to Carolina.

The weight of this game is the biggest storyline heading into the game, but it isn’t the only storyline. Both the coaches are looking for this win for different purposes. We don’t need to even get to the overall rivalry. This is a make or break game and these are the biggest storylines to watch heading into Week 18.

Saints vs Rams: 6 most important storylines in Week 16 game

Saints vs Rams: Staying alive in the playoff race headlines the 6 most important storylines in Week 16 game

The New Orleans Saints are still in the thick of the playoff hunt as they prepare for their Thursday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

The Rams are also fighting for a Wild Card spot, but the Saints can still win their division and even take first place this weekend depending on what happens with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here are the 6 most compelling storylines we’re watching in Week 16:

Saints vs Giants: 5 most important storylines in Week 15 game

The hottest story in the NFL comes to New Orleans as the Saints take on Tommy DeVito and the Giants. Our top five storylines to watch in Week 15:

If you had to judge by the tone around the teams, you’d think New Orleans Saints were doing significantly worse than the New York Giants this season. The Saints actually have the better record. However, one team has a backup quarterback who is beloved and the other has a starting quarterback who is loathed. That explains the difference in excitement levels.

That excitement level also translates to interest level, so that’ll be something to watch. In addition to storylines pertaining to the fans, there are also a few storylines to follow that can affect the game. Both teams have a vital receiving threat who is on the fence of playing in this game. Here are the 5 most compelling storylines we’re watching in Week 15:

Saints vs Panthers: 5 most important storylines in Week 14 game

The Saints face the Panthers for the second time this season. These are the 5 most important storylines in the Week 14 rematch.

The New Orleans Saints are looking for their second NFC South victory of the season, both against the Carolina Panthers. As the season is closing, the divisional games become even more important. The Panthers are the only team New Orleans has a chance to sweep. Because they can’t sweep Atlanta or Tampa Bay, New Orleans will need a better divisional record than both of those teams in case of a tiebreaker.

Going into this game there are many storylines you need to watch for as the Saints are looking to end their losing streak. These are the 5 most important storylines heading into Week 14:

Saints vs Lions: 5 most important storylines in Week 13 game

There will be heavy scrutiny on Derek Carr this week as the Saints look to end a two-game losing streak. These are the 5 biggest storylines to watch:

The New Orleans Saints enter their Week 13 game versus the Detroit Lions looking to pull off the upset. It would also be the first time this year New Orleans beat a team with a winning record. Last time the Saints beat a team that didn’t have a losing record was Week 1.

This is a tough game to try to snap a 2 game losing streak, but a win would be highly beneficial to the Saints in the playoff hunt. That and the attention on Derek Carr are two of the most prominent storyline heading into Week 13 for the New Orleans Saints.

Saints vs. Falcons: 5 biggest storylines going into Week 12 game

The NFC South lead is on the line in Saints versus Falcons. Divisional implications are just 1 of the 5 biggest storylines in Week 12.

The New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons face off for the first time this season. This is one of the most underrated rivalries in the NFL. This matchup is littered with storylines to watch, per usual.

This rivalry is anticipated and heated when there’s nothing at stake. This year, the stakes are high. This Week 12 game features the first and second place team in the NFC South. While the division might not be highly regarded, winning the division is still important to the playoff picture.

Here are the five most important storylines headed into Saints versus Falcons:

4 Vikings storylines to watch in Week 8 vs. Packers

Sunday’s border battle is filled with interesting storylines

The Minnesota Vikings will be looking to improve to 2-0 in the NFC North along with getting back to 0.500 when they take on the Green Bay Packers. They were desperate for a win against the San Francisco 49ers and they got one by a score of 22-17.

As things currently sit, the Vikings are currently tied for a wild card spot but would lose out on the tiebreaker to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers due to a head-to-head loss.

The Vikings currently have two of their best players on injured reserve in Marcus Davenport and Justin Jefferson, but they are playing well regardless. Going into week eight, these the storylines you will want to keep you eye on this Sunday.

3 storylines to watch as Saints face Patriots

The Saints are still waiting on a return for their investment in Derek Carr. Three storylines to watch as they face the Patriots:

At one point in time, facing the New England Patriots was seen as something of an automatic loss before the game even began. To beat the Patriots was the equivalent to taking down Alabama for a college football team.

But times have changed, and Bill Belichick’s team no longer holds quite that same level of power, heading into its upcoming matchup against the New Orleans Saints looking to return to the right side of the win column.

The Saints look to do the same after falling 26-9 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here’s a look into three storylines to watch: