Spagnola: Watch out the gang is coming back

[Rayman70]

https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/spagnola-watch-out-with-the-gang-coming-back

Mickey talking about the injured players on offense looking good in their rehab.
Also mentions if the defense can moderately improve or even get to average, will be a big help.

Have at it.

Mick sure is putting a ton of faith into this rag tag oline.

 

[RonnieT24]

Mick sure is putting a ton of faith into this rag tag oline.

One positive of their little playing time last season is these guys' bodies skipped a year of wear and tear and got a year of healing up ... Might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

 

[jnday]

The 8-8 crew is back, baby!

I bet the NFCE is shaking in their boots today.

 

[jnday]

I won't read his propaganda crap, but I do agree with that assessment. If the Cowboys get even league average level defense, they should win this division and get into the playoffs. And, if the defensive improvement continues, they might even win a game or two when they get there.

I would say that it would be during the last few games of the season for the defense to reach “average” if they can reach it at all. Defensive rookies usually have very little impact in their first season. If the rookies do start playing well in the last couple of games, it would bring a little hope for the following season. I think it will take two or three defensive drafts for them to gather enough talent to have a good defense.

 

[jnday]

Slower? Ankle injuries don't make one slower... I know from whence I speak as I have had a ton of them. Aside from letting you know when it's going to rain or when the weather is about to turn cold the one I tore up at age 23 has had no lasting effect on me and certainly didn't make me any slower once it had healed completely. And medical science has gotten a LOT better about fixing these things than they were 40 years ago when I did mine.

As for how this team will do.. If they stay healthy I feel fairly confident they will win 12 games. If they don't.. all bets are off.

You are certainly overcome with optimism to predict a 12 win season. The return of all the injured players is exciting until you remember that those same players was not so good in the 2019 season, which totally destroys the injury excuses that was given for last season’s debacle.

 

[Jipper]

The yearly skepticism is backed up by a quarter century of ineptness.

Skepticism is fine but positivity based on rehab going well and a solid defensive minded draft to compliment the returning offense seems more than warranted...

 

[KJJ]

They’re coming back but can they stay healthy. Tyron misses games every year and Collins and Martin have had their share of reoccurring injuries.

 

[Stash]

I would say that it would be during the last few games of the season for the defense to reach “average” if they can reach it at all. Defensive rookies usually have very little impact in their first season. If the rookies do start playing well in the last couple of games, it would bring a little hope for the following season. I think it will take two or three defensive drafts for them to gather enough talent to have a good defense.

It sounds like I’m more optimistic than you are on this one. I think they can ‘jump up’ to middle of the league defensively based on a more sound scheme with simpler roles and responsibilities.

 

[Stash]

Skepticism is fine but positivity based on rehab going well and a solid defensive minded draft to compliment the returning offense seems more than warranted...

Maybe, but I can’t help but to have done Deja vu and feel that I’ve heard this same thing before. I certainly have about Tyron Smith, before he proceeds to regularly miss practices and games.

 

[Cowpolk]

The 8-8 crew is back, baby!

Cant be 8-8 they play 17 games now!

 

[Direwolf63]

The optimism in nice, but I'm not buying it again.

This is an 8 or 9 win team until I see otherwise. I'm done being fooled by preseason hype.

 

[Captain43Crash]

You know that’s impossible now right?

8-8-1, fixed.

 

[Rayman70]

One positive of their little playing time last season is these guys' bodies skipped a year of wear and tear and got a year of healing up ... Might turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

thats very true. Good point. It might by us some time at least for another season before we need to plug other guys in.

 

[Rayman70]

8-8-1, fixed.

^thats actually very optimistic. I would consider that overachieving. This D was woefully , historically bad. Now we better worry about the oline and HOPE the dline is better.

 

[Fmart322]

And? So what. We need that. Sure beats the hell out of the negative crap on here. Fans spout off without even reading things.
Yes there are many issues, in the past and now. However I choose to look forward not backwards.

I don't mind a homer piece as long as it's from different sources. Mickey always does homer pieces. What good is that? He's the Cowboys Bagdad Bob.

 

[RonnieT24]

You are certainly overcome with optimism to predict a 12 win season. The return of all the injured players is exciting until you remember that those same players was not so good in the 2019 season, which totally destroys the injury excuses that was given for last season’s debacle.

The reason I see 12 wins is simple.. The Cowboys will be the better team in most of the games they play.. They will have the better offense in likely 13-14 of the games and the better defense in 4-5 as well. The demise of the 2019 season came when Dak got slammed to the turf late in that Rams game. He was a shell of himself in the following game against the Eagles and that was what did that season in. That and the rookie OC getting taken to school by good DCs that year. The OC is no longer a rookie, the QB will be better, the line well be better (again health permitting) which will in turn make the RB better and all three receivers will be another year better.. to say nothing of Schultz and Jarwin. We know the main question marks are on defense but the entire starting secondary from the 2019 season is gone and Lee and Thomas will be replaced in the LB rotation by two much younger and faster guys. The dline replaces try hard guys like Woods, Collins and Crawford with dudes with some actual talent .. albeit young and raw. They may take some lumps in the early going but I expect the d-line to be pretty good by midseason. Bottom line is unless we lose 3/5 of the o-line and the QB for most of the season and have the #1 WR and the RB limping around for half the season, we should start the bidding at 12 wins.. 5-1 in division games.. 3-2 against the AFC and 4-2 in NFC non-division games.. 12-5.. Go head and book it..

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Ahh the time of year where any positivity is met with pessimism, always great to he a cowboys fan

that's about 8-8!

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Most teams should have depth to cover 3 or 4 injuries to starters. However when you lose half your starters on both sides of the ball to injuries. Then you lose the back ups as well. And you are playing 3rd and 4th team guys most of the year. That excuse is true.

Excuses aren't by necessity invalid reasons.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Injuries happen to nearly all teams and some even go far in the playoffs. This excuse is really old.

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/dal/2020_injuries.htm

 

[jazzcat22]

I don't mind a homer piece as long as it's from different sources. Mickey always does homer pieces. What good is that? He's the Cowboys Bagdad Bob.

This was straight up reporting, there was nothing homer about it. So what it if was good news.
But you all just need to stretch it.