IRVING, Texas -- After three weeks, the Cowboys' offense ranks fifth in scoring (27.7) and the middle of the pack in total offense (17th), passing (18th) and rushing (17th).
New offensive coordinator/playcaller Bill Callahan said he's got a good chemistry going between himself and quarterback Tony Romo and expects things to improve in the coming weeks.
"I think every game you learn and you go back to every game that you call and try to take the good things on and try to reflect on what you can get better at," Callahan said. "And I know I do that every practice. I go back and try to look at where the preparation could be better, where the reps could get featured a little bit better for the quarterback and the receivers and the running game. I think that’s huge to go back and take a self inventory of where you're at now. After each game we’ll go back and fill out a report, it’s like an after action report and find out the pluses and the minuses and what you did well and what you do differently and we’re trying to learn from that."
Callahan has a script of plays he begins the game with but has to go off script due to down and distance.
In the first game of the season, against the New York Giants, the Cowboys' first offensive possession occurred at the Giants 19 because of a turnover. So, Callahan began the game in the shotgun with a three-receiver set. Instead of going with his planned script, Callahan called his red zone plays.
Week 2 in Kansas City was different as well. The Cowboys got the ball in the traditional sense, their own 20, but were down 7-0. Callahan started with a two-tight end set and sent tight end Jason Witten in motion and lined up Miles Austin in the slot.
Last week against St. Louis, the Cowboys offense watched the Rams get the ball twice before stepping onto the field due to a muffed punt by Dwayne Harris.
When the Cowboys offense took the field, the ball was placed at their 38 and they ran the Pistol formation with Harris as the third receiver.
The Cowboys have started the first three games with runs to DeMarco Murray.
"You can be off your script in a heartbeat," Callahan said. "You can be in a backed up situation, first play of the year, we get the ball in the red zone, so there goes that script. Just throw it out the window. There are times you will come off the script. There are certain plays and formations and personnel groupings you want to throw out there, just to see how they respond to it and see how they want to defend it. It either verifies what they’re doing or it makes you adept or adjust."