Taco in an alternate universe

[408Cowboy]

I know 40K. Little toys you have to paint and then battle on a strategic map.
Eldritch Horror?

Look that bad boy up. It's fun as hell.
Just takes an hour and a half to set up and half an hour to break down.
Games can last 8 hours.

I'll check it out.

 

[America's Cowboy]

TJ Watt ain't no Lawrence Taylor, Harley or Ware.......let's end that discussion now.

Nah, TJ just got 14 sacks last year bro. No biggie. We should take soft Taco and his 3 sacks instead.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Jerry and Marinelli dropped the ball royally by passing up on TJ Watt over soft Taco. Ugh.

Can you imagine if TJ was a Cowboy?

2018 results would have been:

D-Law: 10.5 sacks
+
TJ Watt: 14 sacks

Watt most likely would have had more sacks because Steelers don't have a player like Lawrence that would help free up Watt. I was so wrong defending Taco over Watt, that being said all we can hope for is for Taco to turn it around.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Watt most likely would have had more sacks because Steelers don't have a player like Lawrence that would help free up Watt. I was so wrong defending Taco over Watt, that being said all we can hope for is for Taco to turn it around.

Agreed, bro, but especially what's in bold. Common sense. Having D-Law at one end with TJ Watt at the other would have been monstrous for us. Instead, we've got bench-warming and fans-attacker soft Taco. Oh well. Nimodo.

 

[Alexander]

I don't recall this many threads when Bobby Carpenter was busting his way out.

What is it?

His cool name? Taco?

His stupid idiotic sack dance?

 

[408Cowboy]

I don't recall this many threads when Bobby Carpenter was busting his way out.

What is it?

His cool name? Taco?

His stupid idiotic sack dance?

He has a sack dance? Don't you need to get sacks to have a dance?

 

[Beaker42]

Is TJ a better player than Taco? Probably.
Would they play the same position here? No.
Would TJ have the same numbers here? No.
Is this a dumb comparison? Yes.

You don’t know if TJ wouldn’t have had the same numbers here. Are you stating the RT’s in the NFC are better than those in the AFC?

 

[xwalker]

I'll deal in reality... if Taco doesn't get it together in 2019, I'm moving away from him and giving Quin his money.

Taco will make 1.3M this year.

Quinn will make 8M this year.

 

[Irvin88_4life]

You don’t know if TJ wouldn’t have had the same numbers here. Are you stating the RT’s in the NFC are better than those in the AFC?

Watt would be going against LTs but your point still stands.

 

[xwalker]

What if Taco Charlton played up to the value of the 1st round draft pick that was used to acquire him? Would that have affected D Law's new deal? Would the Cowboys be SB champs right now? The FO has invested so much in this guy and has seen very little return on that investment. If we value 1st round draft picks then we need to recognize the difference Taco could have made to this team. Your thoughts?

Taco started 7 games in 2018.

Randy Gregory started 1 game in 2018.

 

[gimmesix]

So after Taco doesn't get it together this coming season, we finally stop wasting time with him and extend quin's contract?

I think at this point we're counting on having Gregory back more than we're counting on Taco. I don't think we have any plans to re-sign Quinn.

Now, there are several moving parts here. If Taco comes on, then we let Quinn go in the offseason because we've got Charlton on the cheap for a couple more years. If Taco fails but the rules change concerning marijuana (notice that I'm not considering Gregory stopping using it), then we've still got a young starter on the cheap through 2020. If Gregory smokes his way out of league and Taco doesn't develop, then either we pay Quinn if he plays great or we're back in the search for a right end.

 

[BigCatMonaco]

My whole thing is, yes watt has produced... a ton.

But he’s playing 3-4 OLB

I don’t doubt he’s a playmaker and more than likely would be outdoing taco here... but it’s not the first time teams passed on a guy because he wasn’t a scheme fit. The chiefs just traded an OLB worth 20/mm per year to bring in a legit 4-3 end in Clark because he’s a better scheme for going forward.

 

[America's Cowboy]

My whole thing is, yes watt has produced... a ton.

But he’s playing 3-4 OLB

I don’t doubt he’s a playmaker and more than likely would be outdoing taco here... but it’s not the first time teams passed on a guy because he wasn’t a scheme fit. The chiefs just traded an OLB worth 20/mm per year to bring in a legit 4-3 end in Clark because he’s a better scheme for going forward.

Respectfully, bro, you're still not seeing it. TJ Watt played in the 230 pound range while in college. He's now in the mid 250s, yet he's handling both RTs and LTs with ease both against the run and pass. Shows he's got strength, quickness and a nonstop motor to him. Things soft Taco does not have. Watt can easily gain another 6-8 pounds to his 6'4.5" frame and not lose his quickness, agility and stamina. That's where players like D-Ware, Haley, Ellis and Lawrence Taylor played at. Plus, with TJ Watt, he could have been a hybrid Edge DE and OLB as shown the past 2 years in Pittsburgh. Talk about an effective multi-talent the Cowboys seriously missed out on.

What does Taco bring to the table, skill-wise? Not much so far... and it doesn't look like he ever will.

Cowboys dropped the ball once again.

 

[Kareemovweet]

I'm a Michigan fan and like Taco and am rooting for him but at this stage in the game I would have taken TJ. I still have not given up on him an hope he wakes up this year..

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Nah, TJ just got 14 sacks last year bro. No biggie. We should take soft Taco and his 3 sacks instead.

14 sacks don’t make you Ware, Haley or LT. Those are three of the best players of all time. He’s closer to the caliber of Taco then he is those guys.

 

[JoeKing]

Taco will make 1.3M this year.

Quinn will make 8M this year.

I wasn't suggesting we only give Quin Taco's Money. I expect he get's an extension next season.

 

[JoeKing]

I think at this point we're counting on having Gregory back more than we're counting on Taco. I don't think we have any plans to re-sign Quinn.

Now, there are several moving parts here. If Taco comes on, then we let Quinn go in the offseason because we've got Charlton on the cheap for a couple more years. If Taco fails but the rules change concerning marijuana (notice that I'm not considering Gregory stopping using it), then we've still got a young starter on the cheap through 2020. If Gregory smokes his way out of league and Taco doesn't develop, then either we pay Quinn if he plays great or we're back in the search for a right end.

I think we sub in Quinn for Taco moving forward and give him an extension next offseason.

 

[America's Cowboy]

14 sacks don’t make you Ware, Haley or LT. Those are three of the best players of all time. He’s closer to the caliber of Taco then he is those guys.

Oh really?

Let's see...

In their first 2 years as NFL players: QB sacks

1) Lawrence Taylor: 0 sacks (1981) & 7.5 sacks (1982). Total: 7.5 sacks
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TaylLa00.htm

2) Charles Haley: 12 sacks (1986) & 6.5 sacks (1987). Total: 18.5 sacks
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/H/HaleCh00.htm

3) Demarcus Ware: 8 sacks (2005) & 11.5 sacks (2006). Total: 19.5 sacks
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WareDe99.htm

** TJ Watt: 7 sacks (2017) & 13 sacks (2018). Total: 20 sacks
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WattT.00.htm

As you can see, for their first 2 career years totals in sacks comparisons, TJ Watt is definitely in the same mold of a sack artist as the greats in Lawrence Taylor, Charles Haley and Demarcus Ware. TJ actually has a higher sack total than all 3 for their first 2 career years. The key for TJ Watt will be if he can keep it up and stay healthy. Time will tell.

On the other hand, it is soft Taco who definitely is not the same caliber of a player as those above. Not even close.

 

[buybuydandavis]

I like that alternate universe. But my favorite alternate Cowboys universe is the one where Randy Moss is drafted as a Cowboy.

Where Jimmy and Jerry don't blow the best thing ever.
Where Terry Glenn doesn't blow out his knee in training camp.

 

[Johnny23]

What if Taco Charlton played up to the value of the 1st round draft pick that was used to acquire him? Would that have affected D Law's new deal? Would the Cowboys be SB champs right now? The FO has invested so much in this guy and has seen very little return on that investment. If we value 1st round draft picks then we need to recognize the difference Taco could have made to this team. Your thoughts?

No, I don't think it would effect Lawrence's deal I think it would effect holding onto Randy Gregory and cutting dead weight. I believe his pick up in 2017 was 110 percent to cover their backsides with going all in on Randy at every turn. I don't think we'd be super Bowl champs because we still don't have stud interior linemen that are consistent on defense. We'd just have two stud DE's who get nullified because we don't value the defensive tackle position as an organization like we should since Jimmy was head coach.