Dozens of accidentally merged threads ** LOCKED **

[DallasEast]

Anyone watch it yet?

I want to bring something to the table here.

When Jerry went toe to toe with the NFL regarding branding, sponsorships etc. Does anyone believe that the fallout from that is what we have witnessed for the last 30 years?

They havent won since, they have had obscure and mind boggling penalties called against them at the most inopportune times, and just cant seem to put it all together.

Yes there is a lot more to that story. Also on Jerry, but to sit here and act like its not plausible at all and we are all nuts for thinking there has been an issue is mind boggling to me.

Thoughts?

Answer: I believe it has very little to do with it. In my opinion, the Dez Bryant catch/non catch is the most questionable example that could make an argument. However, I dismiss it as a league conspiracy and simply something I can forever blame Dean Blandino for (INCOMING!)

No. I do not see a macro level causality (e.g. the league). Rather, I identify a micro level reason at the team level only.

Coaches come and go. The same goes for players, scouts, front office personnel, etc. Ditto for Dallas' opponents at all levels of their organizations. All these entities influence what happens each game, whether on-the-field, from the sidelines, or supplemented by sub-management. All are variables that have fluctuated the franchise's ability to compete for championships.

There has been one constant variable within that winning formula. The one thing that has been an integral component year after year after year. It is an inherent flaw that has never been addressed:

The Joneses in the front office.

I shall not shift blame to the other owners, Roger Goodell or the league office while they are an annual, embedded, and glaring glitch in The Matrix. I will keep swallowing the red pill, please and thank you.

 

[Gambit]

Damien Martinez got cut by Seattle. Go get him please.

You somehow think a 7th rounder who wasn't good enough for Seattle us a difference maker here?

We have 2 bowling balls already
We can put waiver claims to better use than him.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

If winning Super Bowls, or just playoff success mattered, there would be no Cowboys fans.

I was speaking of the more benign availability

Dak has missed more games this decade than any QB in the nfl. If he plays 17 games, I’m comfortable putting him over Baker or Stroud. But you have to consider the QB who’s more likely to play those 17 games

 

[Ranching]

That's what I said you get blowback but I agree with you there's many ways to look at this perspectives are different I mean I look at the yes it's important right the run game.

It's night and day when you look at the two teams in the Super Bowl Yep the Philadelphia Eagles pick Saquan Barkley and he was the missing piece they had one of the best run games in the league last year And you know who was number two that would be Baltimore or they were really close to each other but won won the Super bowl and one didn't go as far as the year before

Now the Kansas City Chiefs were with us they were in the same category as the Dallas Cowboys with their run game was sad they picked up Hunter off the street they didn't go out and look for a better runner and they ended up runner up in the Super bowl with a bottom five run game and I realize it's different but there's a happy middle here people are upset of what we did or didn't do the last two years with the run game and I get it but let's see if this works or not before we say it's a failure.

I saw that Christian Mccaffrey did not help San Francisco get further than they did with their running back by committee which was very good The couple years before they decided to go after Christa Mccaffrey give him $19 million and how did they finish last year that's right very similar to us..

Yes I'm a little disappointed they didn't pick up a better running back the last two years But I also look at the fact that they're gonna improve the run game with the offensive line in the scheme and I do think our running backroom is better this year with a group the group is better there is no bell cow but there is a better group in my opinion with differing skill sets that will help this team..

By the way

I didn't look at Kansas City I can do it now but I gotta get to work

what do they do to improve their run game in the offseason?

who is their running back I mean they didn't have a good running back last year even their starter I can't pronounce his name was good but he's not a bell cow and they had a running back by committee and then they picked up Hunt..... I don't think Hunt was brought back but who is their starting group this year that's what I want to know how did they improve last year from their bottom 5 run game??

We have proof they improved until we see it on the field? that's rhetorical..


nope.. Does that scream Super Bowl Does that scream that one of the better coaching Staffs in the league for two years in a row are rolling with basically the same room that they were Bottom 5 last year they were right there with us go look at the output in production...

Yes, the Kansas City Chiefs had multiple running backs on their 2025 53-man roster, including Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell. However, they recently waived Carson Steele and Michael Wiley to finalize the roster, which now features three running backs. Pacheco and Hunt are expected to be the primary ball carriers.

Mahomes allows a team to win with a serviceable back...they need a back that can string together a few first downs, to let the defense rest, allow time for adjustments on the sidelines, milk the clock etc. Doesn't have to be a stud if he's rested and playing against defenses that are tired and hurting.

 

[gimmesix]

That's why I told it this this is not even valid to judge the Cowboys without judging 31 other teams and I'm betting they fall right into the norm very similar from year to year some you're going to hit on more than others but these posts make me laugh the original post it doesn't make sense unless you're bringing in 31 other teams into the mix show me what theirs look like from 2021....

This is why I laugh every year when the draft rolls around and some of our fans act like we're going to hit on every player. It just doesn't happen. I'd prefer the draft be more like it was in the early 1990s or before, where you chose 12 to 15 players. Then, you might hit on four or five.

I mean, look at our 1992 draft. We took 15 players (had two first-round picks, two-second-round picks and two third-round picks) and we consider it a good draft because we got CB Kevin Smith, LB Robert Jones and S Darren Woodson (not to mention WR JImmy Smith who went on to great things elsewhere). Outside of those four, though, our picks were CB Clayton Holmes, OT James Brown, OG Tom Myslinski, DB Greg Briggs, G Rod Milstead, TE Fallon Wacasey, DB Nate Kirtman, DB Chris Hall, G John Terry, WR Tim Daniel and DB Don Harris. That's a whole bunch of nothing in 11 draft picks, although Holmes was a decent backup.

 

[blueblood70]

Mahomes allows a team to win with a serviceable back...they need a back that can string together a few first downs, to let the defense rest, allow time for adjustments on the sidelines, milk the clock etc. Doesn't have to be a stud if he's rested and playing against defenses that are tired and hurting.

I understand this i'm just saying that all teams don't build their rosters the same way and I'm saying running back by committee I brought in others I think San Francisco is a good example they had three running backs a couple years ago they had three differing skill sets and they used them great they all had over 500 yards each they all had about five or six touchdowns each and they got to the Super Bowl with Garoppolo at quarterback...
They had a running back by committee with A quarterback I don't believe is better than ours..

I'm just showing examples that this gets a little bit skewed when we come on here and blame Jerry Jones for the way he's handled this the last two years and even if I don't agree with it, Other teams are doing it very similar they're not all out there getting the Derrick Henry's or the Saquon Barclays or picking a guy in the first round..

Yes I would love to have picked my guy which would have been Henderson from OSU he looked good in preseason so far but we don't know how his career is going to go but right now I don't know that Blue can't do the same things If you got the proper blocking and the play caller getting things set up properly against the defense you know this these backs can be very successful we've got some bangers we've got some fast guys and you can just create a run game with a group.

This is all on the offensive line the scheme the blocking the execution and I think these guys can be successful..

 

[Hawkeye0202]

Is he a DE or LBer?????

Micah Parsons has a pending grievance over his fifth-year option salary​

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profo...g-grievance-over-his-fifth-year-option-salary

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

Effective NFL offenses evolve. This league became a mostly pass oriented league the last 25 years. Pass heavy offenses featuring high percentage passes that make the QB, WR, and TE positions much more valuable had become the coin of the realm over the last 2-3 decades.

But things have changed. Defenses have evolved too over the years to where pass coverage has become easier to master. Good defenses evolved to where great pass rushes and pass coverage became gold. BUT….Things have evolved again.

So how do you challenge a defense today?

• By having a running game capable of punishing defenses that cheat their safeties back to stop the intermediate pass and deep pass.
• If an offense does not have a RB who forces safeties (and maybe LBs as well) to respect the run, it puts all the pressure on the QB to carry the offense. There may be 2 QBs in the NFL that can carry a team by himself.
• By possessing a below average running game, the Cowboys are set up to depend too much on a 32 year old good but not great QB who has always played best with a strong running game.

It’s not a mystery. In 2025, having a quality running game capable of making defenses fear what it can do gives your QB and offense a chance to be good.

Without wearing blue fan glasses, I’m not seeing a running back on this roster that makes defensive coordinators respect the run. Until we do get someone that can put fear in a defense, I cannot expect deep playoff runs. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Hope so.

It's not always just the running back. A lot of quite average RB's help make the run game effective (if not feared) by having a good O-line.

Not sure we have that. Maybe not since Travis. I just don't see the holes (and apparently the RB's don't either!). I don't see a push. I don't see a push. I don't see an O-lineman a few yards up the field looking for someone to truck. I remember Emmitt used to put his hand on the back of one and follow him several yards, waiting for that last spring.

What I do see is RB's dodging the defense at the handoff.

I also remember Pollard "showcasing his speed" (over Zeke) to the edge. That's the only place the space was.

If we can run block, and have an effective game plan about it (a guessing game for the defense instead of advertising it)...our RB's could be effective if not feared.

 

[MarcusRock]

Yeah...not sure if Henry would have fared well here with our o-line last season.

I mean, if Rico Dowdle did some damage, I'd have liked to see what gambling on Henry would have yielded. Henry + Blue this year would have at least garnered some anticipation. Now we just expect suckage and hope to be surprised.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

It's only going to benefit us in the long run, my thing has always been is if we're not getting substantial yards, we totally abandon it!! Every run can't be 20+ yards sheesh

They did this with Zeke....not understanding (in his "prime" post 2016) that he'll get more yards in the 2nd half. Even Emmitt did that.

We had (have?) a stretch of maddening run calls. Like you said if we only got a couple yards, we'de throw 50 times a game. Or...three straight runs up the stuffed middle at the goal line and wonder what we had to FG it.

Maddening I tell ya!

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

I don’t think that’s bad. The two that survived were two huge ones. That’s better than keeping around 5 special teamers. Eagles 2020 draft we only hit on Jalen Hurts. That was a great draft.

Context is important. Micah + Osa is huge to come out of a draft with. Compare it to 2018: Schultz was pretty good, Dorance was pretty good, Vander Esch was pretty good, Connor Williams started 4 years, Gallup was pretty good, Cedric Wilson was nice. One could argue the 2021 draft was better

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I agree with what you guys are saying but don't you also believe that it would be better if the oline improves? They were pretty bad last year.

Oh...you beat me to it i see. But of course...it's obvious.

Umm...JUST last year?

 

[thunderpimp91]

I picked Baltimore for my comparison, but Philly (or any other team) is just as good. You don't get rich through the draft. You get a couple of starters (if you're lucky) and some bit players who you cycle through.

For sure. Just glancing through so I might be missing someone but I think Detroit is the only team that really dominated that draft how fans expect the Cowboys to hit every season.

1) Penei Sewell - All Pro
2) Levi Onwuzurike - 10 starts for DET, currently on PUP, extended 1yr/$4m
3) Alim McNeil - 50 starts for DET, currently on PUP
3) Ifeatu Melifonuw - 14 starts for DET, now with MIA
4) Amon-Ra St Brown - All pro
4) Derrick Barnes - 26 starts for DET, brought back on 3/$24m contract
7) Jermar Jefferson - played a hand full of snaps, no longer with team

2 all pros + 2 regular starters + a depth player still contributing. That's the type of draft that'll turn a franchise around.

 

[dcstar]

Is he a DE or LBer?????

Micah Parsons has a pending grievance over his fifth-year option salary​

https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profo...g-grievance-over-his-fifth-year-option-salary

Who?

Go Cowboys!

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I don't think the penalties and calls against us have seemed that outrageous, but OP's theory wouldn't surprise me. Besides 30 years ago, it was just a few years ago that Jerry tried to oust Goodell, and Goodell reportedly is the vindictive type and was very angry at Jerry for it.

The league had it out for Al Davis for years and they might for Jerry now.

 

[MountaineerCowboy]

For his option he wants to be paid as a LB, but for his contract he wants to be paid as a DE.

Just Micah things.

 

[jazzcat22]

Trade him

 

[deerhunter11]

Effective NFL offenses evolve. This league became a mostly pass oriented league the last 25 years. Pass heavy offenses featuring high percentage passes that make the QB, WR, and TE positions much more valuable had become the coin of the realm over the last 2-3 decades.

But things have changed. Defenses have evolved too over the years to where pass coverage has become easier to master. Good defenses evolved to where great pass rushes and pass coverage became gold. BUT….Things have evolved again.

So how do you challenge a defense today?

• By having a running game capable of punishing defenses that cheat their safeties back to stop the intermediate pass and deep pass.
• If an offense does not have a RB who forces safeties (and maybe LBs as well) to respect the run, it puts all the pressure on the QB to carry the offense. There may be 2 QBs in the NFL that can carry a team by himself.
• By possessing a below average running game, the Cowboys are set up to depend too much on a 32 year old good but not great QB who has always played best with a strong running game.

It’s not a mystery. In 2025, having a quality running game capable of making defenses fear what it can do gives your QB and offense a chance to be good.

Without wearing blue fan glasses, I’m not seeing a running back on this roster that makes defensive coordinators respect the run. Until we do get someone that can put fear in a defense, I cannot expect deep playoff runs. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong. Hope so.

Good Post Bob and Good morning, I think this Oline will be jelling about week 2 or 3 and by week 5 Mafah will be a force in the run game.He and blue and Leupke will get the job done this season.Lamb and Pickens will keep safeties honest and this Oline will maul.

 

[Ken]

One thing that was clear during the documentary, which didn't really offer any new insight, was Jimmy built the football team. That is why Dallas has not won anything for the past 30 years.

I learned plenty...

What stood out to me was Jimmy built their mentality of being tough, prepared and expecting to win.


He didn't just say it, he demanded it. Every coach (other than Parcells) we have had has just given it lip service. That is the difference.

 

[Wangchung83]

Well he's not a linebacker as the article states his sakarybus based on which position he lines up at. I can't even remember Micah playing traditional linebacker role, always wondered how good he would be at that position. Fact is he played edged rusher and only looks for sacks.