Improvement starts when you accept what you are

[Jake]

Must I remind you that the Cowboys lost Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, Zack Martin, Dak Prescott, Blake Jarwin, Trysten Hill, Saivion Smith, Deante Burton, Antwaun Woods, Chris Westry, Cameron Erving, Darian Thompson, Blake Bell, LVE, Rashard Robinson, Bradlee Anae, Justin March-Lillard, Noah Brown, Justin Hamilton, Chris Jones, Tyler Biadasz, Sean Lee, Andy Dalton, Mitch Hyatt, Brandon Knight and Trevon Diggs, most of them for the vast majority of the year? 3 of the 4 starters on the Offensive Line? 3 of the backups on the Offensive Line? Not to mention a new coaching staff with no chance to instill their system due to Covid.

I'm guessing you have a similar laundry list of excuses for the previous 25 years as well.

Every team has injuries. The Browns and Commanders new coaches had "no chance to install their system" yet they're in the playoffs and the Browns won 11 games. The Commanders used 3 QBs. But yes, only Dallas had to deal with things.

We'll get 'em next year!

 

[Jake]

Even Jerry has to realize the simple truth, he's running out of time.

Al Davis never did. He went to his grave still believing he was the man who could turn around the Raiders, and he had 3 dust-covered Lombardis from decades ago to fend off anyone who questioned him.

Jerry has said that Al Davis was one of his mentors when he joined the NFL. He'll go down with the ship, just like Al, before he ever changes how he operates. *points to 3 dust-covered Lombardis*

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Having a strong HC is the only time Jerry’s teams have been able to have long term success.

Yes, ...the formula works..: strong HC> Jerry's ego= Success..... right next to E=mc2 in the book of genius. Thank you Mr. Einstein.

 

[Bobhaze]

Must I remind you that the Cowboys lost Tyron Smith, La'el Collins, Zack Martin, Dak Prescott, Blake Jarwin, Trysten Hill, Saivion Smith, Deante Burton, Antwaun Woods, Chris Westry, Cameron Erving, Darian Thompson, Blake Bell, LVE, Rashard Robinson, Bradlee Anae, Justin March-Lillard, Noah Brown, Justin Hamilton, Chris Jones, Tyler Biadasz, Sean Lee, Andy Dalton, Mitch Hyatt, Brandon Knight and Trevon Diggs, most of them for the vast majority of the year? 3 of the 4 starters on the Offensive Line? 3 of the backups on the Offensive Line? Not to mention a new coaching staff with no chance to instill their system due to Covid.

Rock, no reminder about injuries necessary. I’m of the opinion if this current roster had been 100% healthy, it would probably have been 8-8, and while that would have won this awful division, it wouldn’t change the issues facing this team.

Going into this season, this defense was not very good. Until it’s addressed, it doesn’t matter how good the offense is, this team won’t be able to compete for much.

 

[Dre11]

When your favorite team is bad, and you watch them play every week, you get used to seeing bad players making bad plays. When occasionally, a few of those players make some good plays, many of us get suckered into thinking, “Hey that guy is pretty good.” Compared to what?

When your favorite team only makes the playoffs 7 of the last 21 seasons, the bar gets lowered. We are so starved to see something good, I think sometimes we see “good” in players that in reality aren’t as good as we would love to think.

That in a nutshell is one of the biggest problems with this entire organization. This FO vastly overrates its talent, while also vastly overrating their own abilities to right this organization’s 25 year drift to consistent playoff irrelevance. Let’s face it, 30 other owners would have fired this GM and his children long ago.

What I hope is Mike McCarthy (or someone JJ listens to) has the stones to tell his bosses a series of truths that need to be addressed:

• This roster needs a major overhaul to be competitive for something more than mediocrity. We cannot sit pat. We must accept who we are: A below average football team.
• We need at least 7 new starters on defense. Keepers: DLaw, Gregory, Diggs, and maybe LVE although he’s so fragile, he’s probably worth considering a replacement.
• We need help on offense too. We may need a LT sooner than many want to believe.
  
• This isn’t just a talent problem. It’s a culture problem.
• This culture is diseased. There is a lack of focus and commitment from top to bottom. It’s been there for far too long. These players need to be challenged to show something more or we will keep getting what we’re getting.

We all want this team to improve and start competing. But this team needs a butt kicker in the locker room to start expecting more. Maybe have a Jimmy J training camp again complete with an asthma field.

And finally- like any organization that has 33% rate of even qualifying to compete for a championship, you won’t get better until you look in the mirror and admit your team sucks and you’re sick of losing and everything that contributes to it. Currently I don’t get the feeling from enough people at the Star to make a difference yet. Until enough people get sick of this repeated failure, expect the same.

Bob I think you're the overreacting to the roster, the roster do not need a " Major" overhaul, the defense can be average(which is good enough to win) Rarely are you going to teams great on both sides of the ball. To me there needs be a change in the free agency philosophy, stop the bargan bin shopping ,or even a trade. get some players in here that can make an impact. most of the teams we consider good teams do it. Rams,KC,Saints,49ers(except injuries)Baltimore.
When we go back to the beginning of this year, if we knew Dak and pretty much our entire line was going to be out, We wouldn't have expected this team to win more the 3 games. Matter of fact every team that dealt with the same amount or close to the amount of injuries we had all struggled this year. On offense we are are good, when you look at the o line of course when they all are in the game at the same time, its an issue, but do we expect that to happen every year? these guys got valuable playing times looking decent at times, when they return to just backups behind the starters, I think we'll be fine, We're good at Wr, QB with Dak (healthy), TE(healthy Jarwin) and Shultz has looked to turned the corner. RB with Zeke and Pollard, Kicker and Punter. Give me 1 high impact player in free agency, 1 or 2 mid level impact players. High impact player in secondary, 2 on DL, and lets run it back.

 

[Birch_Wood]

When your favorite team is bad, and you watch them play every week, you get used to seeing bad players making bad plays. When occasionally, a few of those players make some good plays, many of us get suckered into thinking, “Hey that guy is pretty good.” Compared to what?

When your favorite team only makes the playoffs 7 of the last 21 seasons, the bar gets lowered. We are so starved to see something good, I think sometimes we see “good” in players that in reality aren’t as good as we would love to think.

That in a nutshell is one of the biggest problems with this entire organization. This FO vastly overrates its talent, while also vastly overrating their own abilities to right this organization’s 25 year drift to consistent playoff irrelevance. Let’s face it, 30 other owners would have fired this GM and his children long ago.

What I hope is Mike McCarthy (or someone JJ listens to) has the stones to tell his bosses a series of truths that need to be addressed:

• This roster needs a major overhaul to be competitive for something more than mediocrity. We cannot sit pat. We must accept who we are: A below average football team.
• We need at least 7 new starters on defense. Keepers: DLaw, Gregory, Diggs, and maybe LVE although he’s so fragile, he’s probably worth considering a replacement.
• We need help on offense too. We may need a LT sooner than many want to believe.
  
• This isn’t just a talent problem. It’s a culture problem.
• This culture is diseased. There is a lack of focus and commitment from top to bottom. It’s been there for far too long. These players need to be challenged to show something more or we will keep getting what we’re getting.

We all want this team to improve and start competing. But this team needs a butt kicker in the locker room to start expecting more. Maybe have a Jimmy J training camp again complete with an asthma field.

And finally- like any organization that has 33% rate of even qualifying to compete for a championship, you won’t get better until you look in the mirror and admit your team sucks and you’re sick of losing and everything that contributes to it. Currently I don’t get the feeling from enough people at the Star to make a difference yet. Until enough people get sick of this repeated failure, expect the same.

Good post. Can I add to this list something very basic.

• Coaches that continue to teach good tackling and good blocking skills.

I know it sounds elementary but watching the games season after season and acknowledging the cap everyone has to work with, it becomes important. The cap has demonstrated that leadership (in management) and coaching cannot be taken for granted. Were probably never going to field a stacked defense again. And if we are lucky enough to be considered so by the media, it would not last long. I agree 100% its not just a talent problem. Its unfortunate, but we really need to go back to square one and the first thing we need to secure are coaches that understand and believe in teaching tackling and blocking skills. Not everyone can do it. Just because you were a good professional blocker in this league does automatically mean you can teach and coach these skills. Sure these guys have been coached since they were in elementary school, I get it. But when you watch the games, pause, rewind, and you ask yourself did I just see that. Football players not practicing the basics of tackling or blocking. Repetition and teaching is a good thing. But we need coaches that know how and are willing to do it.

 

[CATCH17]

When your favorite team is bad, and you watch them play every week, you get used to seeing bad players making bad plays. When occasionally, a few of those players make some good plays, many of us get suckered into thinking, “Hey that guy is pretty good.” Compared to what?

When your favorite team only makes the playoffs 7 of the last 21 seasons, the bar gets lowered. We are so starved to see something good, I think sometimes we see “good” in players that in reality aren’t as good as we would love to think.

That in a nutshell is one of the biggest problems with this entire organization. This FO vastly overrates its talent, while also vastly overrating their own abilities to right this organization’s 25 year drift to consistent playoff irrelevance. Let’s face it, 30 other owners would have fired this GM and his children long ago.

What I hope is Mike McCarthy (or someone JJ listens to) has the stones to tell his bosses a series of truths that need to be addressed:

• This roster needs a major overhaul to be competitive for something more than mediocrity. We cannot sit pat. We must accept who we are: A below average football team.
• We need at least 7 new starters on defense. Keepers: DLaw, Gregory, Diggs, and maybe LVE although he’s so fragile, he’s probably worth considering a replacement.
• We need help on offense too. We may need a LT sooner than many want to believe.
  
• This isn’t just a talent problem. It’s a culture problem.
• This culture is diseased. There is a lack of focus and commitment from top to bottom. It’s been there for far too long. These players need to be challenged to show something more or we will keep getting what we’re getting.

We all want this team to improve and start competing. But this team needs a butt kicker in the locker room to start expecting more. Maybe have a Jimmy J training camp again complete with an asthma field.

And finally- like any organization that has 33% rate of even qualifying to compete for a championship, you won’t get better until you look in the mirror and admit your team sucks and you’re sick of losing and everything that contributes to it. Currently I don’t get the feeling from enough people at the Star to make a difference yet. Until enough people get sick of this repeated failure, expect the same.

Status quo and rookies..

That's what we'll do.

 

[armadillooutlaw]

There are still a lot of players left from the previous regime that are used to a country club environment.
What Big Mac needs to do (provided the owner/GM actually LETS him...sigh) is take a page out of Parcells' playbook and re-define the culture,
starting with cleaning house of any players that have an entitled mentality or are physically declining.
A guy like Jaylon Smith might have to be cut to make this point.
And it is time that the defense is treated as equally important as the offense, not as the red-headed step child.
Actual, intentional investment in the defense, and most importantly into the front seven and safety.
Shun the flash, embrace the substance.

 

[75boyz]

There are still a lot of players left from the previous regime that are used to a country club environment.
What Big Mac needs to do (provided the owner/GM actually LETS him...sigh) is take a page out of Parcells' playbook and re-define the culture,
starting with cleaning house of any players that have an entitled mentality or are physically declining.
A guy like Jaylon Smith might have to be cut to make this point.
And it is time that the defense is treated as equally important as the offense, not as the red-headed step child.
Actual, intentional investment in the defense, and most importantly into the front seven and safety.
Shun the flash, embrace the substance.

Although McCarthy does not possess the balls or ability to perform as this post describes as he is just another spineless yes man collecting retirement checks, I still agree with its message.

Nice post.

 

[ghosttown cowboy]

5 Super Bowl wins in my first 26 years, zero divisional round wins in my last 25...I watched the Browns yesterday and flipped to Dallas during the commercials. I'm tired of watching an organization that just doesn't care about anything but collecting money...

 

[Bobhaze]

Bob I think you're the overreacting to the roster, the roster do not need a " Major" overhaul, the defense can be average(which is good enough to win) Rarely are you going to teams great on both sides of the ball. To me there needs be a change in the free agency philosophy, stop the bargan bin shopping ,or even a trade. get some players in here that can make an impact. most of the teams we consider good teams do it. Rams,KC,Saints,49ers(except injuries)Baltimore.
When we go back to the beginning of this year, if we knew Dak and pretty much our entire line was going to be out, We wouldn't have expected this team to win more the 3 games. Matter of fact every team that dealt with the same amount or close to the amount of injuries we had all struggled this year. On offense we are are good, when you look at the o line of course when they all are in the game at the same time, its an issue, but do we expect that to happen every year? these guys got valuable playing times looking decent at times, when they return to just backups behind the starters, I think we'll be fine, We're good at Wr, QB with Dak (healthy), TE(healthy Jarwin) and Shultz has looked to turned the corner. RB with Zeke and Pollard, Kicker and Punter. Give me 1 high impact player in free agency, 1 or 2 mid level impact players. High impact player in secondary, 2 on DL, and lets run it back.

Dre, I understand what your saying- you think if we had been 100% healthy, we would have been a lot better this year. The problem is, since the 2016 season when we went 13-3 and had the #1 seed, this team has made the playoffs one time. In that 4 year stretch, this team has been 33-31.

Just my opinion, but thinking this team “will be fine” when healthy is exactly one of the biggest reasons we continue to get what we’ve been getting. Only making the playoffs 7 times in 21 years. This is not a roster ready to contend for a title.

 

[Rockport]

I'm guessing you have a similar laundry list of excuses for the previous 25 years as well.

Every team has injuries. The Browns and Commanders new coaches had "no chance to install their system" yet they're in the playoffs and the Browns won 11 games. The Commanders used 3 QBs. But yes, only Dallas had to deal with things.

We'll get 'em next year!

No never seen so many injuries for the Cowboys since I started watching many, many years ago. And you've never seen me make excuses for the team either. These happen to be facts.

 

[Rockport]

Rock, no reminder about injuries necessary. I’m of the opinion if this current roster had been 100% healthy, it would probably have been 8-8, and while that would have won this awful division, it wouldn’t change the issues facing this team.

Going into this season, this defense was not very good. Until it’s addressed, it doesn’t matter how good the offense is, this team won’t be able to compete for much.

That's just your opinion about being 8-8, not mine. We'll never know either. You speak as if you know which is not the right way to make a take.

 

[Bobhaze]

That's just your opinion about being 8-8, not mine. We'll never know either. You speak as if you know which is not the right way to make a take.

You’re right Rock that none of us know how things would have turned out.

But here’s some perspective we should consider: Four full seasons have passed since our Cowboys went 13-3 in 2016 and secured the #1 seed in the NFC. Despite the first round disappointment of losing to the pack, I thought at the end of 2016, we had a bright future. We had what we thought was a good draft with several young stars on rookie deals.

Fast forward now through 4 full seasons of what that “bright future” turned out to be:

• We missed the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. (2017, 2019, and 2020)
• Our 4 year record since the 2016 season is 33-31.
• Our combined record last two seasons is a combined 14-18.
• It’s been over a year since this team won a game against a team with a winning record

Whatever our opinions are, the above information is factual.

 

[CATCH17]

You’re right Rock that none of us know how things would have turned out.

But here’s some perspective we should consider: Four full seasons have passed since our Cowboys went 13-3 in 2016 and secured the #1 seed in the NFC. Despite the first round disappointment of losing to the pack, I thought at the end of 2016, we had a bright future. We had what we thought was a good draft with several young stars on rookie deals.

Fast forward now through 4 full seasons of what that “bright future” turned out to be:

• We missed the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. (2017, 2019, and 2020)
• Our 4 year record since the 2016 season is 33-31.
• Our combined record last two seasons is a combined 14-18.
• It’s been over a year since this team won a game against a team with a winning record

Whatever our opinions are, the above information is factual.

Go easy on them.. Remember.. You're on Cowboyszone.. Cheerleaders have feelings too.

 

[Rockport]

You’re right Rock that none of us know how things would have turned out.

But here’s some perspective we should consider: Four full seasons have passed since our Cowboys went 13-3 in 2016 and secured the #1 seed in the NFC. Despite the first round disappointment of losing to the pack, I thought at the end of 2016, we had a bright future. We had what we thought was a good draft with several young stars on rookie deals.

Fast forward now through 4 full seasons of what that “bright future” turned out to be:

• We missed the playoffs 3 of the last 4 seasons. (2017, 2019, and 2020)
• Our 4 year record since the 2016 season is 33-31.
• Our combined record last two seasons is a combined 14-18.
• It’s been over a year since this team won a game against a team with a winning record

Whatever our opinions are, the above information is factual.

The information is factual and so were all the injuries this year as well as a new coaching staff that had no time to implement their systems before the season started.

 

[Bobhaze]

The information is factual and so were all the injuries this year as well as a new coaching staff that had no time to implement their systems before the season started.

That’s true. But what happened in 2017 and 2019?

 

[Dre11]

Dre, I understand what your saying- you think if we had been 100% healthy, we would have been a lot better this year. The problem is, since the 2016 season when we went 13-3 and had the #1 seed, this team has made the playoffs one time. In that 4 year stretch, this team has been 33-31.

Just my opinion, but thinking this team “will be fine” when healthy is exactly one of the biggest reasons we continue to get what we’ve been getting. Only making the playoffs 7 times in 21 years. This is not a roster ready to contend for a title.

NFL is a season to season thing, I don't believe in lumping each seasons together, each season has its own challenges. Anybody who says this team wouldn't have been the best team in the division if healthy is just being overly critical.

 

[Dre11]

That’s true. But what happened in 2017 and 2019?

Why does those years matter in respect to this year? if thats the case 2016 and 2014

 

[armadillooutlaw]

I believe after last season Dak was asked about the team underperforming and he said that after they started 3-0 they were smelling themselves or feeling themselves - basically, they kinda thought they were real hot stuff when they really weren't.
That and Jerry always trying to pump the team up as a super bowl contender year after year doesn't help.
Either causes too much pressure from expectations or builds up big egos that lead to sloppy players.