Cowboys losing Ground? For the Record . reinforces how 2016 was a missed opportunity ***MERGED***

[THEHEREAFTER]

So what do we do now? Give up?

 

[GhostOfPelluer]

those extra picks were coming no matter what we did in FA.
i think we need to focus on the big picture after 13-3, instead of reading the value chart.
i dont think many will agree carroll is an upgrade.
i would much rather settle for protect Dak than the running game.
the 2017 team construction is probably inadequate to seriously challenge for the superbowl.
much rather just protect our key assets and lose more games to get the picks we need in 2018

You don't even know what the final roster will look like and you're punting 2017? That seems unreasonable. It's not unreasonable to think we could be better this year. Even if you think we're worse, we were the best team in the NFC over the course of the 2016 season. We have way more going for us than most teams.

 

[Alexander]

You keep repeating this lie that we have no cap space.

It is not a "lie". As it stands we are just like other teams that have to be prudent and that means we cannot compete for your average free agent.

Believe whatever fantasy you want but even Jones has stated very clearly, their cap room has a direct impact on their ability to compete.

 

[Alexander]

So what do we do now? Give up?

Just do nothing and pretend that was what we wanted to do anyways.

 

[Coy]

Everytime you are the #1 seed and you don't win a playoff game it's a missed opportunity.
There is no guarantee we we'll even make the playoffs this year.

 

[Alexander]

Everytime you are the #1 seed and you don't win a playoff game it's a missed opportunity.
There is no guarantee we we'll even make the playoffs this year.

Last year was a special season which was unceremoniously flushed down the toilet because we could not contain Aaron Rodgers.

Yet the next week, Atlanta did it with ease while supposedly having a "worse" defense than ours if you believe some people around here.

 

[erod]

Lol some of those players were free agent busts for New England.

It was a response to someone saying New England is always quiet in free agency. They're often the loudest.

 

[Alexander]

It was a response to someone saying New England is always quiet in free agency. They're often the loudest.

Not really big on bold moves (this year is the boldest), but they are calculating.

Their pro personnel department does a great job getting Belichick the spare parts he can plug in at dirt cheap prices.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Oh, so unless you win a playiff game it's considered nothing? Got it. Building a team for the future counts for nothing. In your mind, Dallas and Cleveland are one and the same. Drafting Dak, Zeke...putting together a great O line means nothing unless they win a playoff game.

It counts buddy, but how much does it really count when you are the best team in the regular season and the #1 seed in football and have home field advantage against the lowest seed with a week off to prepare and recover?

And we beat the team on the road already during the season.

You might just want to raise your standards a bit.

Now having a great young offense going forward is a real plus. Should keep us competitive for a while. But we can all see quite plainly that it doenst mean much if you dont have the defense to go with it. 3 years ago we got beat by GB and Rogers because we had a poor pass rush. In 3 years we failed to improve that and lost again the exact same way. So its quite clear what we need to do.

So far in FA we have gotten worse, not better on D and still no answer for the pass rush in sight. And our secondary is getting worse as well.

Other teams use

FA
Draft
Trades

To make themselves better. Cowboys only use the Draft. Not to difficult to see that unless we completely nail the draft every year like we did last year, we wont keep up. The Cowboys seem to be struggling to maintain. Much harder to maintain a contender then a 8-8 squad.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Sacks don't mean everything, look at total yards, thats what matters the most IMO. It also has to do with strategy and who they're playing. They hardly touched Dak but they kept Zeke to under 100 yards in both games, which they won.

They probably focused on stopping the run and forcing Dak to throw against their secondary. We all saw how that worked out, pretty well if your a Giants fan. Not to mention JPP missed a quarter of the season though I do think he's over rated and asking for too much money.

Yep, the Giants D was its strength last year. No doubt all those additions have helped. And they are working on the offense now. They clearly manage the cap much much better than we do.

 

[visionary]

We have lost ground no doubt. People are fooling themselves if they think we haven't

Let's see what the FO does the rest of the off season

 

[khiladi]

How much tape did we have on Aaron Rodgers ? Tom Brady has a lot also etc etc.

Tom Brady has the best half-time adjusters in Bill Bellichek and Ernie Adams.. There is never enough tape on them and their cheating..

 

[khiladi]

Atlanta got to the SB with a sub-par defense...

 

[DandyDon52]

3 years ago we got beat by GB and Rogers because we had a poor pass rush. In 3 years we failed to improve that and lost again the exact same way. So its quite clear what we need to do.

Coaching and game plans play into as well.

 

[DandyDon52]

Tom Brady has the best half-time adjusters in Bill Bellichek and Ernie Adams.. There is never enough tape on them and their cheating..

coaching matters.

 

[DandyDon52]

Atlanta got to the SB with a sub-par defense...

yeah and should have won, their coaches lost that game. Just like dallas with GB

 

[reddyuta]

Atlanta got to the SB with a sub-par defense...

they got a lot of talent on that D with some high draft picks.

 

[khiladi]

coaching matters.

Two years ago they beat the Ravens specifically because of the hurry-up, declare the WR ineligible at the last moment rule play-calling.. before that Brady wasn't moving the ball and if it weren't for those play-calls, they would have lost..

That's the genius of their coaching...

and the way Bellichek coaches the DBs year in and year out, its a work to behold.. you see the
patriots play incredibly bad the first half and all of the sudden, after half-time it's a whole new ball game, cheating or not..

 

[khiladi]

they got a lot of talent on that D with some high draft picks.

They were pretty bad all season long, particularly away from home.. with their offense, opposing teams have to keep pace..

they did turn it up in the playoffs though..

 

[Doomsday101]

True, I also think a large part of their defense not doing as well was due to their pitiful, laughable joke of an offense. Hard to do anything when your offense is constantly 3 and out.

I couldn't care less how little or how much these other trams spend in FA but I'm not going to bash a team that made huge improvements in FA over the course of a year when our defense (specifically secondary) has been our weakest link and the joke of the NFL for years yet we haven't made any improvements through the draft, FA, trades or otherwise.

all I am saying is you can't buy a championship. NY, Wash and Philly have tried it cost a lot of money and in the end they are no closer to the SB. I don't care if you bash them or not fact is a bunch of no names put up more sacks than the NY defense did a defense that has 2 high priced players on that D Line that is fact. I agree that our defense needs to be addressed but much like the OL I think much of it will be through the draft not through high priced FA.