We are at least one year away from serious contention

Chuck 54 said:

Anything can happen, and while I think our defense will be better this season, realistically, I think we are 1-2 years away from serious contention at the top of the NFL.

The defense will be better this year, but most of our rookies will take at least a year in the system and training program to be as impactful as a contender needs. Add to that another offseason with another draft, along with a free agent period where we may be slightly more aggressive if we see the team with a real opportunity to succeed, and I believe the Cowboys can be NFC/NFL championship contenders.

I like this draft class, but if most of these players turn out to be backups at best, Dallas will be looking at more dark times. If both LBs meet expectations, if at least 1 CB becomes a starter, if 1-2 of our DL picks at least become part of the game day rotation, and if Urban, Kazee, and Neal play as well as they did with former teams, this season will be fun to watch, and Jerry will be looking to extend a couple of 1-year contracts.

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Just in time to dump Zeke and his fat contract.

atlantacowboy said:

Just b/c you pay a QB like he's better than Rodgers and Brady, doesn't make him better than Rodgers or Brady. Dak is the limiting factor on this teams ceiling.

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You don’t have to be Brady, Rodgers, or Mahommes to win a SB.

Rockport said:

Couldn't disagree more. Dak's back so we'll again have one of the most prolific offenses in the NFL and the defense is going to be totally different with tons of new players. MM is in his 2nd year now and his vision and impact on the players will start to show overall team progress. Our special teams was much better last year and expect the same this year.

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Doesn’t sound like you totally disagree since I said we would be better on defense this year, but rookies would take a year to truly be starting to max their potential. I said we’d be a serious contender in 1 year. If you think we will contend for a championship this year, then we are only a year apart.

Chuck 54 said:

Doesn’t sound like you totally disagree since I said we would be better on defense this year, but rookies would take a year to truly be starting to max their potential. I said we’d be a serious contender in 1 year. If you think we will contend for a championship this year, then we are only a year apart.

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Definitely a year a part. Don't forget about last years rookies who should be better this year. Diggs, Gallimore, Anae and even Trysten Hill from the year before I believe. Cee Dee and Biadaz will be even better as well.

Aerolithe_Lion said:

He was third in the league in passing yards, had more 4th quarter comebacks than Josh Allen, same comebacks and game winning drives as Russell Wilson despite fewer turnovers than both, second in the league in TD passes, but hes a bus driver...? 16th best starting QB in your mind, maybe not even top half of the league as far as regular starters?

Josh Allen, Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees all played on dominant rosters. If we’re playing the game of punishing a QB for how good the players around him are, then no one is deserving of top 10. Was Patrick Mahomes not the best QB in 2019 because his roster was too good? What kind of an argument is that. Tampa’s is considered the best because they just won. They weren’t the best at the beginning of the year, barely top 5 by a few publications. PFF had them 1 slot higher than Dallas even. And even then, they may not have been the best roster in 2020. Put Tom Brady on LA Rams, who far and away led the league in points allowed/yards allowed/shockingly low 17 TD passes allowed, 3rd best Oline in football and suddenly they win the super bowl with Tom and everyone is lauding them today as having “the strongest roster the last few years”.

3 teams in the whole league had fewer rushing yards than TB... He carried them offensively. He had the opposite of bus driver season. When in your opinion was a more prolific QB also a bus driver?

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Alex Smith in the year before he was benched, with worse players on offense than TB has now, was 8th in passing yards. Lets not mince words. Tampas roster right now, discounting QB, is better than every other roster in the NFL and its not close. This was also true last year. Russel Wilson in his career has never had anything close, Rodgers has never had a loaded roster (remember 1 first round pick in 10 years on offense and it was a QB) and everytime a packer offensive player hits FA he suddenly becomes nothing,

Tampa is considered the best because when you look at every position group its top 5. The only reason people discount them is that they do not have any all pros (including at QB). What they have is very good everything and very good everything beats some great and some bad. They are considered great because they were known to be great. The only thing that ever held them back was that their starting QB was someone so inept that he threw 30 INTs and could not beat out a 30 year old who had never thrown a pass before to be the backup QB in NO. That is how bad their QB position was. He just had to be better than that. Half the NFL can be better than that. Half the NFL has a QB that would win a Super Bowl in Tampa.

Tom Brady 10 years ago, even 5 years ago, made average players look great. Rodgers right now makes average players look great. Wilson and Mahomes do the same thing. However, Tom Brady cannot do that anymore. Tom Brady now can make great players look great but he cannot elevate the way he used to. He is not a scrub. He is a good QB with the instincts of someone who used to be great. If he, or the other 15 QBs, were in Miami they might be able to challenge Buffalo so its not as though he is a scrub. He is not Tua or Ben or Lock, or Winston or Darnold, he is a former great who is now just good.

nate dizzle said:

No.

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Yes

Chuck 54 said:

I think we are 1-2 years away from serious contention at the top of the NFL

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Bruce Arians called. He said, "It's the NFL. If you have great QB play (... and irrefutably, even where his critics are concerned, our QB is capable of great play) ... then you really have a decent shot at an exceptional year."

I consider him an authority on the topic.

JJHLH1 said:

Wins actually are a QB stat.

And respectfully, the Bucs were underdogs in their playoff games against the Saints, Packers, and Chiefs so everyone did not know at the time they had the most loaded roster.

Brady came in and turned that entire organization around. Even Bruce Aryans acknowledged it. There is a reason why so many players want to be with him. Brady deserves the Super Bowl MVP that he won.

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Wins are a QB stat in the same way Skip Bayless is an analyst. People may call him such but that does not make it true. They are no more a QB stat then a G stat or T stat or DE stat. They are the simpleton stat for football players. Even if you assume a QB is worth 1/3 of the offense, which is about what they are paid to be, that is 1/3 of 1/2 the game that they are responsible for. Half the game they have zero to do with and we want to pretend that they deserve the entire result as a stat. Its laughable. Matt Stafford is a better QB than Ryan Tannehill and certainly better than Goff (hence why the trade happened) but they both won more games because wins are not a QB stat and actual people who understand QBs for a living, and are not paid to come up with talking points, understand that.

Trajan said:

Hahahaha, sure. Once Jerry is out of the picture it moves to Stephen, once Stephen is out of the picture it moves to those goofy grandkids who are now tagging along at every event "learning the ropes" from the master Jerry.

We are a good 3 generations from contention, that's only like 75 years. My hope is one of them has a horrible gambling problem and is forced to sell the team to cover the debts, and a decent owner takes control.

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The Jones Family will own the Cowboys for generations, just like the Maras, Rooneys, Hunts, Fords, Spanoses, and other families that own franchises since their inception in pro football. Sure - a couple of wealthy figures have recently purchased teams. Jaguars, Panthers) - but NFL franchise ownership mostly remains a family affair.

Motorola said:

The Jones Family will own the Cowboys for generations, just like the Maras, Rooneys, Hunts, Fords, Spanoses, and other families that own ffranchises since their inception in pro football. Sure - a couple of wealthy figures have recently purchased teams. Jaguars, Panthers) - but NFL franchise ownership mostly remains a family affair.

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I suppose one could force the team to be sold if done like Man U, but that's probably a very bad idea.

Chuck 54 said:

You don’t have to be Brady, Rodgers, or Mahommes to win a SB.

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Well, you certainly can't be Dak Prescot making 40M a year. This team's window was Dak on a rookie deal.

They are a contender right now. With an average defense they win the division and could win the NFC. They are well on their way. Their defense is certainly improved.

Chuck 54 said:

You don’t have to be Brady, Rodgers, or Mahommes to win a SB.

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I wonder why it is so hard for many to understand that concept.

Chuck 54 said:

Anything can happen, and while I think our defense will be better this season, realistically, I think we are 1-2 years away from serious contention at the top of the NFL.

The defense will be better this year, but most of our rookies will take at least a year in the system and training program to be as impactful as a contender needs. Add to that another offseason with another draft, along with a free agent period where we may be slightly more aggressive if we see the team with a real opportunity to succeed, and I believe the Cowboys can be NFC/NFL championship contenders.

I like this draft class, but if most of these players turn out to be backups at best, Dallas will be looking at more dark times. If both LBs meet expectations, if at least 1 CB becomes a starter, if 1-2 of our DL picks at least become part of the game day rotation, and if Urban, Kazee, and Neal play as well as they did with former teams, this season will be fun to watch, and Jerry will be looking to extend a couple of 1-year contracts.

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Agreed on a year or two. Another draft improving the defense. Then the year after that we get Zeke off the books and Jaylon will be gone. That will open up a nice chunk of money to fill a whole or two in FA to get us over the hump.

If they draft better than they did this year.

atlantacowboy said:

Well, you certainly can't be Dak Prescot making 40M a year. This team's window was Dak on a rookie deal.

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The money, does not make the player. Dak, is good enough for this team to win a championship. The other pieces must also line up. The defense, has been horrid, and I don't care what rating they give the offensive line, they haven't been that good. Coaching, plays a large role, in how the team works as a unit.

Furboy said:

I suppose one could force the team to be sold if done like Man U, but that's probably a very bad idea.

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Despite some dustups involving league operations and team procedures, Jerry Jones has brokered agreements and deals that led to more revenue for every team and increased the value for alI 32 franchises to be at least $2 billion each (the average value was assessed at $3.04 billion in 2020).
(Paved the way for FOX Television to get in on the league broadcasting schedule when the original big 3 networks (NBC, CBS, ABC) tried to get the NFL to rollback rights fees. Jones also was instrumental in getting owner approval for the Rams to return to LA and the Raiders move to Vegas (and both teams getting new stadiums in the process).
Jones probably ranks in the bottom half as a liked peer among the 32 franchise principals. But his work as an NFL owner to enhance the league's bottom line is unparalleled. Unless he is provened to be a serial killer or involved in a plot to overthrow the nation - he will remain owner until he:
1) Decides to cede control to his children
2) Dies

This team has not won jack in 25 years, so saying they are 1-2 years away is very wishful thinking.

Chuck 54 said:

Anything can happen, and while I think our defense will be better this season, realistically, I think we are 1-2 years away from serious contention at the top of the NFL.

The defense will be better this year, but most of our rookies will take at least a year in the system and training program to be as impactful as a contender needs. Add to that another offseason with another draft, along with a free agent period where we may be slightly more aggressive if we see the team with a real opportunity to succeed, and I believe the Cowboys can be NFC/NFL championship contenders.

I like this draft class, but if most of these players turn out to be backups at best, Dallas will be looking at more dark times. If both LBs meet expectations, if at least 1 CB becomes a starter, if 1-2 of our DL picks at least become part of the game day rotation, and if Urban, Kazee, and Neal play as well as they did with former teams, this season will be fun to watch, and Jerry will be looking to extend a couple of 1-year contracts.

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Conventional wisdom would say you are correct
However depending on how fast the draft choices contribute is the key.

We are 25 years into "one year away" from contending.

catiii said:

7-10

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Boy aren't you the optimist.
I think we're better than that this year. Just reverse those numbers.....10-7.