Three hidden gems for the Cowboys

cowboyed · Jun 18, 2021

What's with the mean spirited decorum in the forum?

Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody post together
Try to inspire one another right now

blueblood70 · Jun 18, 2021

garyo1954 said:
Matching the star on their helmets, the Cowboys have star players who will drive headlines, get the most attention and ultimately, get the most scrutiny. But these three players are hidden gems on their roster.

3. Keanu Neal is a defensive weapon
The Cowboys had one of the worst defenses in the league last year, including the second-worst run defense (158.8 yards per game) and the seventh-worst passer rating against (100.4). They've enlisted former Falcons' head coach Dan Quinn to turn it around as the new defensive coordinator while bringing in one of his former pupils.

2. Tony Pollard is a capable backup to Exekiel Elliott
The struggles of Ezekiel Elliott, either through indications of his own decline or chalked up to a banged-up offensive line, took center stage last year. But focusing on that means missing what Pollard did when he got opportunities.

After averaging 5.3 yards per carry as a rookie in 2019, Pollard got 101 carries last year as Elliott dealt with hamstring and calf injuries. In the game Elliott missed entirely, Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Pollard posted 132 total yards on 18 touches (six receptions) with two rushing scores. In games he had at least nine opportunities (carries plus targets) in last year, he had at least 40 total yards five times with touchdowns in two other game he didn't reach that threshold.

1. Michael Gallup may be the best No. 3 receiver in the NFL
When CeeDee Lamb was taken in the first round of the 2020 draft, Gallup was bumped down the pecking order among Cowboys' wide receivers. As the proverbial "third wheel", Gallup was indeed third on the team with 105 targets last year (behind Amari Cooper-130 and Lamb-111). But he was still productive, with 843 yards, five touchdowns and a team-best 14.3 yards per catch.

Entering the final year of his contract, Gallup has been seen as a prime trade chip for Dallas. But they hung onto him through the draft and barring a deal between now and Week 1 he'll go into the season as a Cowboy. That won't be ideal for boosting his stock in free agency next March, barring an injury to Cooper or Lamb, but it's not a death knell for him either.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/3-hidden-gems-on-the-dallas-cowboys-roster/ar-AAL9Aih

sorry i like Pollard and the pollard as 1-2 punch with zeke is good

BUT GET THE NIONSEMSE OUT OF HERE ALREADY..

SO IF I GO OUT IN GAME AND HIT 3-4 3S AND NEVER PLAY THE REST OF THE SEASON WHAT IM 75% 3 SHOOTER AND SHOULD BE crowned AS THE BEST 3 POINT SHOOTER IN THE LEGAUE..LMAO

pollards limited reps is why he has a high average.. fresh legs and the fact the defense doesnt typically see pollard as threats as zeke goes out for 2-4 plays they turn back to looking at Dak and believe its 75% going to be pass play, when its not Pollard has an advantage zeke rarely sees..

like i said as 1-2 pollard is the clear change of pace back its great, he is not s FT starter in this league in my eyes but hope he does get few more reps and helps keep zeke fresher especially run pollard more between the 20s and put zeke in more in the RZ or crunch time , keep his legs fresher..

Defense cant be worse will be better that for sure

Gallup's a 2 with potential to be 1 in no way di Lamb unseat him, his YPC and YPG still better and while lamb might be more shifty and fluid Gallup IMO is still as good so hes not the 3 ,,we have a great issue with 3 WRs who are 1A , 1B, 1C...

AC will be the WR most feel we should try and move for 2022 sign gallup. Gallup and Lamb have the differing skills that make it balanced passing game with a young buck being true 3 ..Gallup reminds me of Dez and Lamb more like MI..nice combo

CWR · Jun 18, 2021

Rockport said:
He’s signed through 2024

The impact he has had on this offense can't be overstated. He changed everything after the trade. Time goes on, and the fan base forgets quickly.

blueblood70 · Jun 18, 2021

CowboysWillRise said:
The impact he has had on this offense can't be overstated. He changed everything after the trade. Time goes on, and the fan base forgets quickly.

really this is business decsions you think ATL forgot about Julio? they moved on for younger and cheaper, you think OAK forgot about AC they knew he would cost and let him walk, you think Dhop IMO best WR in the NFL at least top 3 was truly forgotten, it was a business decsions..happens all the time and IMO not enough around here as you know Jerry gets emotionally attached to players..

AC is the odd man out not the worst player . get it? hes expensive, has health issues, the oldest, and yes sometimes you move on..we appreciate AC but doesnt mean we cant move on from him to get younger and truly not lose much..if we can move on from Romo to dak seeing not big drop off and money vs age and injury, well AC was not home grown guy, much easier to let go IMHO..

Hes our Julio right now for 2022.... best WR but not by much and just getting younger and bi cheaper is key to long term success..

Bobhaze · Jun 18, 2021

JoeKing said:
Thanks so much for sharing... but nobody asked you so you just had to add your 2 cents anyway. Crashing other people's posts is just what you do.

It’s an opinion forum Joe, not an agreement party.

jazzcat22 · Jun 18, 2021

buybuydandavis said:
I don't see Pollard as a replacement for Zeke, either now or in the future. Both are probably gone in 2023. But he is a great complement.

I wish we made more use of sets with Zeke and Pollard, with Pollard as the "web back" WR/RB hybrid to threaten runs outside the hash marks and deep throws while Zeke threatens runs between the hash marks.

Gallup as the 3rd may have the best 1 and 2 in front of him. Makes life easy on him. Should be good for lots of yards per catch, but not so good for a lot of targets.

I guess they failed to say that Pollard struggled, yes with the same back up OL Zeke had. And much of his rushing yards came from a long run late in the game, was it like 62 yards?
He ended having a decent game stat wise, but he struggled the 1st 3 quarters to get what he had.

I like Pollard as a compliment to Zeke as you said. But no way he is a Zeke replacement as many on here hype him to be. I hope they utilize him better though this year.

OmerV · Jun 18, 2021

Aerolithe_Lion said:
What I think is a plausible scenario is that CeeDee has the year most here expect him to, and then Gallup outplays Cooper in a contract year. The scenario then becomes, “How much sense does it make to pay your #3 WR 20m$?” …even if it technically works within the cap

And then what if you develop a good receiver in the next year or two? You ask him just sit, no playing time available? Perhaps spreading assets would be more fortuitous, get that pick for Amari AND spend the cap space on another marquee player somewhere else

I don't see any evidence that suggests Gallup will outplay Cooper though. The one thing Gallup does better than Cooper is go up for a high pass, but Cooper appears to be clearly better in every other area (routes, hands, reading the coverage, speed …).

Aerolithe_Lion · Jun 18, 2021

OmerV said:
I don't see any evidence that suggests Gallup will outplay Cooper though. The one thing Gallup does better than Cooper is go up for a high pass, but Cooper appears to be clearly better in every other area (routes, hands, reading the coverage, speed …).

Its all hypothetical. In 2019 in 14 games (only 12 starts), Gallup put up a season roughly as good as Cooper ever has in 16 starts. He’s a generally healthier, cheaper, younger, home grown option. Not that he’s already better than Cooper, but we kind of know what Cooper is at this point. Gallup plausibly could become that as well.

Maybe not likely, but he’s set the groundwork for it

charron · Jun 18, 2021

Not sure about these guys being hidden.

1. Gallup is pretty dam good in his role but just like schuster without a #1 next to him he will come back down to earth a lot.
2. Pollard deserves nearly 10 touches/carries a game and i've said this many times. Feed the back that came to play that day. Sometimes he's just the better matchup and we should use it to our advantage.
3. Neal looks good on paper. It will be interesting to see how he and everyone operates under this Quin here in Dallas.

Rockport · Jun 18, 2021

CowboysWillRise said:
The impact he has had on this offense can't be overstated. He changed everything after the trade. Time goes on, and the fan base forgets quickly.

Exactly. He makes defenders look silly. Some teams double team him so he "gets lost" as the haters like to say.

OmerV · Jun 18, 2021

Aerolithe_Lion said:
Its all hypothetical. In 2019 in 14 games (only 12 starts), Gallup put up a season roughly as good as Cooper ever has in 16 starts. He’s a generally healthier, cheaper, younger, home grown option. Not that he’s already better than Cooper, but we kind of know what Cooper is at this point. Gallup plausibly could become that as well.

Maybe not likely, but he’s set the groundwork for it

Fair point about 2019. I do think Cooper is, and always will be a more consistent target because of his route running and ability to be in sync with the QB. But admittedly that's an opinion

But at the end of the day it doesn't matter what fans think, only what the team thinks. Since Gallup was the one that lost targets to Lamb more than Cooper I suspect the team favors Cooper.

I also think CouchCoach makes a good point about overall impact on the team, even aside from stats. I suspect Cooper is more the kind of receiver that can foster team confidence, and cause opposing defenses to alter game plans.

LACowboysFan1 · Jun 18, 2021

CowboysWillRise said:
The impact he has had on this offense can't be overstated. He changed everything after the trade. Time goes on, and the fan base forgets quickly.

Possibly with Lamb on board, as well as Gallup, Cooper can take it a bit easier, play less snaps, and not have the nagging injuries he always seems to have....

LACowboysFan1 · Jun 18, 2021

jazzcat22 said:
I guess they failed to say that Pollard struggled, yes with the same back up OL Zeke had. And much of his rushing yards came from a long run late in the game, was it like 62 yards?
He ended having a decent game stat wise, but he struggled the 1st 3 quarters to get what he had.

I like Pollard as a compliment to Zeke as you said. But no way he is a Zeke replacement as many on here hype him to be. I hope they utilize him better though this year.

Some thought Marion Barber should have been the starter instead of the "change of pace" rusher.
And we know how that turned out.

But I don't think the Cowboys ever thought that Pollard could be Zeke's replacement, not all season long anyway...

jazzcat22 · Jun 18, 2021

LACowboysFan1 said:
Some thought Marion Barber should have been the starter instead of the "change of pace" rusher.
And we know how that turned out.

But I don't think the Cowboys ever thought that Pollard could be Zeke's replacement, not all season long anyway...

I agree. But the Zeke 'dislikers' disagree. Even though they truly know the reality of it. :laugh:

LACowboysFan1 · Jun 18, 2021

jazzcat22 said:
I agree. But the Zeke 'dislikers' disagree. Even though they truly know the reality of it.

Well we wouldn't really know, imho, unless Pollard IS the starter, for all or most of a season, and maybe two seasons.

Not that I think that's going to happen...

CWR · Jun 18, 2021

blueblood70 said:
really this is business decsions you think ATL forgot about Julio? they moved on for younger and cheaper, you think OAK forgot about AC they knew he would cost and let him walk, you think Dhop IMO best WR in the NFL at least top 3 was truly forgotten, it was a business decsions..happens all the time and IMO not enough around here as you know Jerry gets emotionally attached to players..

AC is the odd man out not the worst player . get it? hes expensive, has health issues, the oldest, and yes sometimes you move on..we appreciate AC but doesnt mean we cant move on from him to get younger and truly not lose much..if we can move on from Romo to dak seeing not big drop off and money vs age and injury, well AC was not home grown guy, much easier to let go IMHO..

Hes our Julio right now for 2022.... best WR but not by much and just getting younger and bi cheaper is key to long term success..

Although you make a valid point, the argument isnt supported by bring up Houston parting with Dhop. That was a terrible decision and has only served to make them significantly worse.

Coop and Julio are at much different points in their careers as well. Atlanta moved away from a 32 year old often injured WR. Coop is what 27? I might add, Atlanta is NOT a model to follow lol.

Furthermore I don't recall taking a stance on Coop moving forward. As always money talks and we would need to consider a multitude of things before making any decisions. For example what will Gallup costs after a 1200 year season? What is the dead hit on Coop? I am rarely if ever married to any one player. Moving on from anyone can be justified in the right situation.

jrumann59 · Jun 18, 2021

garyo1954 said:
Read the article you'll see he's a versatile player.
He lined up 22 times on the DL.
He was in the box 484 plays.
He played slot corner 157 snaps, 28 at wide corner and 226 at FS.
Also had a few plays in kick coverage, punt return, and XPs.

Neal may carry that position label (LB) now, but he should be a versatile piece for Quinn lining up everywhere from the box to deep as a free safety. He's expected to make an all around impact (health permitting).

Sounds like more of Monsterback type of position.

jrumann59 · Jun 18, 2021

garyo1954 said:
Personally, I'd trade Amari. He's great when he's there, but he pulls the invisible man routine at times. I know people claim we need that speed, but he runs 4.42 to Gallup's 4.51. And all those precision routes aren't worth the precision they're drawn up to be if we aren't getting anywhere. Fehoko, if he makes the team, rounds out his routes, but he's big and fights for the ball (the reason I suspect we'll use him a lot in the end zone).

Be a luxury to keep them all, if only we could.

If you think Cooper pulls the invisible man then what does Gallup do. Gallup has never shown anything that he can be a lead dog. CeeDee has potential to be a lead dog but it will be more obvious this year. Getting rid of cooper to keep Gallup who is nice piece to keep but if his ceiling is #2 or #3 you dont get rid of a #1 to keep a #2 or #3 receiver.

LACowboysFan1 · Jun 18, 2021

Hard to have too many good receivers. Two is pretty much essential to really compete year after year, but then what happens if one gets injured? Easy for teams to double the other top receiver and then you're left with a Beasley or Cobb to be the "lead dog" and they're not cut out for that. So you need 3 to feel good about your receiving corps.

Cowboys in the 90's had Irvin and Harper, but Novacek was as much a receiver as tight end, maybe even more so. So they had 3 top receivers. Helped to have an Emmitt also of course.

Maybe it's not going to be possible, but I'd love to see Cooper, Gallup and Lamb on the Cowboys for another few years. Could sort of figure in Pollard as well, he's proven to be a pretty good receiver out of the backfield. Not to mention Jarwin and Schultz, and don't forget about Zeke as well...

LACowboysFan1 · Jun 18, 2021

Yeah, Gallup gets way too much mention to be "hidden"...

Three hidden gems for the Cowboys

cowboyed

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blueblood70

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CWR

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blueblood70

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Bobhaze

jazzcat22

OmerV

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Aerolithe_Lion

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charron

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Rockport

AmberBeer

OmerV

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LACowboysFan1

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LACowboysFan1

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jazzcat22

LACowboysFan1

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CWR

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jrumann59

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jrumann59

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LACowboysFan1

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LACowboysFan1

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