Improving upon these 5 weaknesses-success for this season

Cowboyny

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So much to say, no time to do it today.

For now I'll say that in as much as I despise Elliott off the field, I really wish the offense would be more about him and Pollard and the offensive line controlling the LOS, time clock, and therefore the game.

The 2016 model if you will.

The best place for a suspect defense is on the sidelines.

But no, its more about making Prescott into a prolific passer (I dont want to go down this road, but the less they depend on him to win on his own, the better off they will be overall). I'm not sure why he seemed to stop moving chains w his legs.

Scoring quickly with a pass happy offense is not what this team ought to strive to be, but it seems like that's where we are.

-The offense can still return to the one that dominates the time of possession and wears down their opponent. They have to start games faster that result in points. Too many times last year he saw long drives result in zero points. Get better in the redzone, have a reliable PK when drives do stall. Force the opponent to play catch up, rather then us.
 

fivetwos

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-The offense can still return to the one that dominates the time of possession and wears down their opponent. They have to start games faster that result in points. Too many times last year he saw long drives result in zero points. Get better in the redzone, have a reliable PK when drives do stall. Force the opponent to play catch up, rather then us.
I think the model to beat Dallas was to take them out of that type of game, get ahead, and make them play from behind (pass dominant).

Certain teams on last years schedule just couldnt do that.

Last years team could have been embarrassingly bad if it wasnt for a few pushovers on the schedule.

I truly believe the team quit on Garrett, especially after everyone realized it was over for him.

Also things like the Maher situation and the way that went down couldn't have instilled confidence. That just scratches the surface.

Your points on the OP are all valid and exactly what I saw.

Theoretically, much of that should be corrected by the staff change alone, but Im not sure how much of a barometer this year is going to be.
 

Cowboyny

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I think the model to beat Dallas was to take them out of that type of game, get ahead, and make them play from behind (pass dominant).

Certain teams on last years schedule just couldnt do that.

Last years team could have been embarrassingly bad if it wasnt for a few pushovers on the schedule.

I truly believe the team quit on Garrett, especially after everyone realized it was over for him.

Also things like the Maher situation and the way that went down couldn't have instilled confidence. That just scratches the surface.

Your points on the OP are all valid and exactly what I saw.

Theoretically, much of that should be corrected by the staff change alone, but Im not sure how much of a barometer this year is going to be.

Excellent point about teams jumping ahead on us early, matter of fact Aaron Rodgers said the same exact thing after our playoff loss in Dak's rookie season. Very difficult to beat us when playing from behind as the Cowboy Offense was very hard to get off the field with long, time consuming drives. We have to find that winning formula again.
 

Future

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Last years team could have been embarrassingly bad if it wasnt for a few pushovers on the schedule.
First of all, when 2/3 of the league is a pushover, this is true for every team.

Second, last year's team could have been 13-3 with a competent coach.
 

fivetwos

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Excellent point about teams jumping ahead on us early, matter of fact Aaron Rodgers said the same exact thing after our playoff loss in Dak's rookie season. Very difficult to beat us when playing from behind as the Cowboy Offense was very hard to get off the field with long, time consuming drives. We have to find that winning formula again.
It exhausts their defense and keeps ours fresh...which could go a long way toward hiding some deficiencies.

I think this should be every teams game plan all the time....its just that they dont have the backs and the dudes up front to get it done....we do.

With all the respect our wideouts should command, the running game ought to be there.
 

Ranched

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This team will be clicking on all cylinders with these new coaches. Getcha Popcorn Ready!
 

eromeopolk

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Throughout the summer, I created several, original posts that detailed what I thought the team's weaknesses were. Last year's team was 1-6 in games decided by one score. Their point differential ranked 3rd in the NFC at +113. Point is, 6 out of the 8 losses could of come down to making 1 more play.

Any improvement in these 5 areas (in no .particular order), could determine success for this upcoming season. Win a few more close games and that record could easily go from 8-8 to 11-5 if not more:

Brief detail:

1) Improved Special Teams-how many times did the offense have to drive the length of the field and if they failed to score a TD came away with zero points as they had the most inconsistent PK in the entire league.

2) Offense's inability to start fast-the Cowboy Offense ranked #1 in yards last season, but were #18 in 1st quarter points. Playing always behind had a snowball affect for their entire team. In Dak's rookie season, the Cowboy Offense dominated the time of possession, forced opposing offenses to play catch up and become more one dimensional. With a more fresh defense and only needing to play the pass, it was far easier for them to have sustained success. Zeke is considered one of the best closers in the entire league, but rarely was given the chance as the Cowboy Offense was always playing from behind late in these close ball games.

3) Red Zone Offense Efficiency-ever since Dez Bryant was released by the team, their red zone offense left with him. This offense used to be ranked in the top 10 in red zone efficiency but now are more average then anything else, last year they were ranked 16th. It's not just his absence, but it's a combination of poor play-calling, poor execution and mental self-induced mistakes.

4) Defense Inability to create turnovers-the Cowboy Defense had an embarrassing interception total of a mere 7 interceptions, that was tied for the league worst. They ranked 20th in the league in turnover differential. No team can have success if they force their offense to drive an entire football field on a consistent basis. This has been an ongoing problem throughout Marinelli's tenture with the team. It was a combination of his coaching and not having any sort of playmakers within the defense.

5) Lack of Depth throughout the roster-we have seen it time after time with this franchise when a starter goes down, success usually goes down with him. This team under the Jones Family has always been built around stars, with questionable depth behind them. We see other teams maintain success with the next man up mantra, but rarely here. This has to change.

Certainly there are some other areas of concern. I do believe this team can compete for a championship now, but they need to get better in the little things to have a chance.
1. Special Teams - handled with coaching and retention of KR/PR
2. Offense sluggishness - Uncertain. Do we have another Son of a Bum HC that had to accept the Head Coach of Offense Jason Garrett and now Kellen Moore hired/retained by Jerry Dumbo GM Jones? Your offense should not be sluggish at the start with the weapons they had last year and this year on offense. Who is calling the plays and putting together the open drive package?
3. Red Zone - Unsolved. I told everyone that Dez Bryant was a big lost in red zone productivity. His worst year was better than all other WR on the roster combined. Neither WR on the roster is a match up nightmare like Dez was in the redzone which open up things for others. So resign Dez or find a way to use Elliott more on the wings, Dak on run options, or just more guts to call blunt trama run plays instead of passing on 1st down at the opponents 3 yard line.
4. Turnovers - Joke no. 1. You can not get interceptions without pressure on the QB to throw when and where he does not want to throw. Look for the same mess unless the Cowboys find another pass rusher besides Tank.
5. Depth - Joke no. 2. the lack of depth and performance has always been on the DL for the Garrett years and still exist. You can not rely on unreliable players like Gregory, Smith, Poe, Irving, Crawford, etc. and think you are going to have a championship defense. Cowboys need the unreliable to become reliable and the unavailable to become available on defense.

The only luck the Cowboys have is that this will be a season of perseverance. The championship will not be given to the fast or the strong but those who persevere to the end of the season.
 

Hennessy_King

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Throughout the summer, I created several, original posts that detailed what I thought the team's weaknesses were. Last year's team was 1-6 in games decided by one score. Their point differential ranked 3rd in the NFC at +113. Point is, 6 out of the 8 losses could of come down to making 1 more play.

Any improvement in these 5 areas (in no .particular order), could determine success for this upcoming season. Win a few more close games and that record could easily go from 8-8 to 11-5 if not more:

Brief detail:

1) Improved Special Teams-how many times did the offense have to drive the length of the field and if they failed to score a TD came away with zero points as they had the most inconsistent PK in the entire league.

2) Offense's inability to start fast-the Cowboy Offense ranked #1 in yards last season, but were #18 in 1st quarter points. Playing always behind had a snowball affect for their entire team. In Dak's rookie season, the Cowboy Offense dominated the time of possession, forced opposing offenses to play catch up and become more one dimensional. With a more fresh defense and only needing to play the pass, it was far easier for them to have sustained success. Zeke is considered one of the best closers in the entire league, but rarely was given the chance as the Cowboy Offense was always playing from behind late in these close ball games.

3) Red Zone Offense Efficiency-ever since Dez Bryant was released by the team, their red zone offense left with him. This offense used to be ranked in the top 10 in red zone efficiency but now are more average then anything else, last year they were ranked 16th. It's not just his absence, but it's a combination of poor play-calling, poor execution and mental self-induced mistakes.

4) Defense Inability to create turnovers-the Cowboy Defense had an embarrassing interception total of a mere 7 interceptions, that was tied for the league worst. They ranked 20th in the league in turnover differential. No team can have success if they force their offense to drive an entire football field on a consistent basis. This has been an ongoing problem throughout Marinelli's tenture with the team. It was a combination of his coaching and not having any sort of playmakers within the defense.

5) Lack of Depth throughout the roster-we have seen it time after time with this franchise when a starter goes down, success usually goes down with him. This team under the Jones Family has always been built around stars, with questionable depth behind them. We see other teams maintain success with the next man up mantra, but rarely here. This has to change.

Certainly there are some other areas of concern. I do believe this team can compete for a championship now, but they need to get better in the little things to have a chance.
Why use Turnover differential talking about creating turnovers? The offense carried the defense. Luckily the offense was tied for 7th in giveaways per game while the defense was tied for 23rd in takeaways per game.

The offense started slow because if we didn't drive 75-80 yards and score our first possession our defense either gave up a ton of ground in the field position game or allowed the other team to score points.

Look up how our defense faired in per drive stats it was below average across the board.
 

cern

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coaching problems can be fixed by cleaning out the old and bringing in new. this has been done.
all player concerns can be fixed by adding better talent.
 

kskboys

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1. Special Teams - handled with coaching and retention of KR/PR
2. Offense sluggishness - Uncertain. Do we have another Son of a Bum HC that had to accept the Head Coach of Offense Jason Garrett and now Kellen Moore hired/retained by Jerry Dumbo GM Jones? Your offense should not be sluggish at the start with the weapons they had last year and this year on offense. Who is calling the plays and putting together the open drive package?
3. Red Zone - Unsolved. I told everyone that Dez Bryant was a big lost in red zone productivity. His worst year was better than all other WR on the roster combined. Neither WR on the roster is a match up nightmare like Dez was in the redzone which open up things for others. So resign Dez or find a way to use Elliott more on the wings, Dak on run options, or just more guts to call blunt trama run plays instead of passing on 1st down at the opponents 3 yard line.
4. Turnovers - Joke no. 1. You can not get interceptions without pressure on the QB to throw when and where he does not want to throw. Look for the same mess unless the Cowboys find another pass rusher besides Tank.
5. Depth - Joke no. 2. the lack of depth and performance has always been on the DL for the Garrett years and still exist. You can not rely on unreliable players like Gregory, Smith, Poe, Irving, Crawford, etc. and think you are going to have a championship defense. Cowboys need the unreliable to become reliable and the unavailable to become available on defense.

The only luck the Cowboys have is that this will be a season of perseverance. The championship will not be given to the fast or the strong but those who persevere to the end of the season.
And we've told you. Dez has lost the spring that made him so effective. If you don't listen, why do you expect others to listen!!!!!! Agree that we need red zone threats. Noah, maybe?
 

blueblood70

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Another area I'd like to see improved is our defense forcing more 3 and outs. That's another way to win the field position battle.
they did this the entire second half of the rams playoff game and last years eagle game we lost both because while the score was 8 points for like 40mins the offense did NOT STEP UP!
 

Cowboyny

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It exhausts their defense and keeps ours fresh...which could go a long way toward hiding some deficiencies.

I think this should be every teams game plan all the time....its just that they dont have the backs and the dudes up front to get it done....we do.

With all the respect our wideouts should command, the running game ought to be there.

I believe Kellen Moore did a poor job in not sticking with the run last season, even when it was working. The team became too pass happy at times. When the team faces a 3rd and short, there is no reason to get cute, you have a strong line with an elite back.
 

Cowboyny

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Why use Turnover differential talking about creating turnovers? The offense carried the defense. Luckily the offense was tied for 7th in giveaways per game while the defense was tied for 23rd in takeaways per game.

The offense started slow because if we didn't drive 75-80 yards and score our first possession our defense either gave up a ton of ground in the field position game or allowed the other team to score points.

Look up how our defense faired in per drive stats it was below average across the board.

It speaks directly to our poor special teams and average defense. No team can be successful if their offense has to drive an entire field on a consistent basis.
 

quickccc

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I believe Kellen Moore did a poor job in not sticking with the run last season, even when it was working. The team became too pass happy at times. When the team faces a 3rd and short, there is no reason to get cute, you have a strong line with an elite back.

Good point with Moore abandoning the run, ..we probably should have added this to slow start area.
 

Cowboyny

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Good point with Moore abandoning the run, ..we probably should have added this to slow start area.

This was one thing Linehan was very good at, he always was patient with the run game. Hopefully, with more experience and MM overseeing him, this area improves.
 

CowboysFaninHouston

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Throughout the summer, I created several, original posts that detailed what I thought the team's weaknesses were. Last year's team was 1-6 in games decided by one score. Their point differential ranked 3rd in the NFC at +113. Point is, 6 out of the 8 losses could of come down to making 1 more play.

Any improvement in these 5 areas (in no .particular order), could determine success for this upcoming season. Win a few more close games and that record could easily go from 8-8 to 11-5 if not more:

Brief detail:

1) Improved Special Teams-how many times did the offense have to drive the length of the field and if they failed to score a TD came away with zero points as they had the most inconsistent PK in the entire league.

2) Offense's inability to start fast-the Cowboy Offense ranked #1 in yards last season, but were #18 in 1st quarter points. Playing always behind had a snowball affect for their entire team. In Dak's rookie season, the Cowboy Offense dominated the time of possession, forced opposing offenses to play catch up and become more one dimensional. With a more fresh defense and only needing to play the pass, it was far easier for them to have sustained success. Zeke is considered one of the best closers in the entire league, but rarely was given the chance as the Cowboy Offense was always playing from behind late in these close ball games.

3) Red Zone Offense Efficiency-ever since Dez Bryant was released by the team, their red zone offense left with him. This offense used to be ranked in the top 10 in red zone efficiency but now are more average then anything else, last year they were ranked 16th. It's not just his absence, but it's a combination of poor play-calling, poor execution and mental self-induced mistakes.

4) Defense Inability to create turnovers-the Cowboy Defense had an embarrassing interception total of a mere 7 interceptions, that was tied for the league worst. They ranked 20th in the league in turnover differential. No team can have success if they force their offense to drive an entire football field on a consistent basis. This has been an ongoing problem throughout Marinelli's tenture with the team. It was a combination of his coaching and not having any sort of playmakers within the defense.

5) Lack of Depth throughout the roster-we have seen it time after time with this franchise when a starter goes down, success usually goes down with him. This team under the Jones Family has always been built around stars, with questionable depth behind them. We see other teams maintain success with the next man up mantra, but rarely here. This has to change.

Certainly there are some other areas of concern. I do believe this team can compete for a championship now, but they need to get better in the little things to have a chance.
I can agree with all of the above except lack of depth throught out the roster. in this day and age of salary cap, every team lacks depth in certain positions. and lets not confuse depth, with quality....two separate issues. we certainly are good at RB, WR, QB, DL, OL. but don't quite have the same quality at DE, and lack much at TE, safety and CB is questionable. 4-5 deep, but what's the quality.
 

kskboys

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This was one thing Linehan was very good at, he always was patient with the run game. Hopefully, with more experience and MM overseeing him, this area improves.
Disagree. Linehan was notorious for abandoning the run game.
 

Cowboyny

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I can agree with all of the above except lack of depth throught out the roster. in this day and age of salary cap, every team lacks depth in certain positions. and lets not confuse depth, with quality....two separate issues. we certainly are good at RB, WR, QB, DL, OL. but don't quite have the same quality at DE, and lack much at TE, safety and CB is questionable. 4-5 deep, but what's the quality.

I agree and disagree. Teams outside of the Cowboys, have maintained success when a key starter went down, but rarely happens with the Cowboys. It's a combination of lack of talent and poor coaching getting these backups ready.
 

Hawkeye0202

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Good post NY.......Not sure many fans remember this but according to Jason Garrett, we fired Rob Ryan, hired Monte Kiffin and switched to Tampa 2 for one reason.........create more turnovers. Several years later......it's still an issue.

3) Red Zone Offense Efficiency-ever since Dez Bryant was released by the team, their red zone offense left with him. This offense used to be ranked in the top 10 in red zone efficiency but now are more average then anything else, last year they were ranked 16th. It's not just his absence, but it's a combination of poor play-calling, poor execution and mental self-induced mistakes.

4) Defense Inability to create turnovers-the Cowboy Defense had an embarrassing interception total of a mere 7 interceptions, that was tied for the league worst. They ranked 20th in the league in turnover differential. No team can have success if they force their offense to drive an entire football field on a consistent basis. This has been an ongoing problem throughout Marinelli's tenture with the team. It was a combination of his coaching and not having any sort of playmakers within the defense.
 
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