Can the Cowboys Adapt with Brad Johnson and Defeat the Giants?

The Cowboys are currently 1-1 in the Brad Johnson era and Game 3 (possibly) is against the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the Meadowlands Sunday afternoon.

The offense has looked somewhere between awful and pathetic under Johnson’s guidance, which is understandable given a variety of factors working against him.

• He’s 40
• Saw rare mop-up duty as a Cowboy before the Rams game
• Playing in just his second game this season, his second start since joining the team last year
• Is nowhere near as mobile as Tony Romo, which disrupts the flow of the offense

I’m sure I missed a few factors, but what remains (mostly) constant is the supporting cast, one of the supposed more talented groups of backs and receivers in the NFL. One would think that, no matter who is quarterbacking this team, an offense with the likes of Terrell Owens, Roy Williams, Marion Barber, Felix Jones and Jason Witten at its disposal, shouldn’t have as hard of a time as it is putting points on the board. But that is the reality, as the last two games have shown us.

Given all of that, and with the Cowboys entering the lion’s den of the Meadowlands to face the blitz-happy Giants defense, what can the Cowboys do offensively to take some of the pressure off of Brad Johnson?

Truth be told, outside of lining up Patrick Crayton or Isaiah Stanback for a direct snap out of the single wing or “Wildcat” formation, there isn’t a whole lot this offense could do with Brad Johnson at quarterback. He has the weapons, but as has been shown the 1st two games, he lacks the overall physical ability to to get the ball to them accurately on a consistent basis.

One thing that would help would be some creativity from offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. This offense, which was so dynamic last year, as looked rather pedestrian this season. What happened to putting TO in motion so he can avoid getting jammed at the line of scrimmage? When Felix was healthy, how come we rarely saw him and Barber on the field at the same time? How much will we see TO and Roy on the field at the same time?

Since Brad is so quick to check down to his nearest receiver, why not just employ a short passing game? Run more designed slants, screens and seam routes. This is a team that is still looking for the big play down field when it is obvious that Brad doesn’t have that ability anymore. Adjust the offense to Johnson’s strengths, and I think the unit’s production will increase until Romo is able to return.

We all know the talent is there for this offense to make noise against the Giants. Its up to the coordinator and quarterback to make sure that happens.