I agree with you that everything is still available for this team. What makes it hard to not think, “Here we go again” is the last 25 years and the guy who is the owner and self appointed “face of the franchise.” Jerry is a great money maker but he’s also the first obstacle his teams face every year.
I’m still hopeful. But pretending all is good at the Star these days and there’s nothing to be concerned about is a bit short sighted IMO.
If you've read any of my posts over the last month, you'll know that I've never been one to "pretend all is good at the Star these days and there’s nothing to be concerned about?. Hec, when the team was 6-1, I was the skeptical one, as I didn't really like how they were winning (mostly living on a young DB's interceptions on defense, having to come back to beat mediocre teams, coaching mistakes, etc.). Of course I got blasted for not being a "true fan", I was the "debbie downer". Now at 7-4,
I'm the optimist.
Sure, they've lost some games, but the Cowboys still hold a 2-game lead in a weak division where the nearest team has basically a no-name QB still trying to convince his owner to keep him beyond this season. So yeah, I think they can "right this ship", make the playoffs, and if healthy and some good game plans, I do believe this team can beat every team in the NFC (including the Bucs and Cards).
I've blasted JJ like most Cowboys fans over the years, for the obvious reasons that we've all stated over the years.
And I'm still not sold on the current coaching staff (HC, OC and DC), as I don't know if this a Superbowl-caliber, deep-playoff-run staff.
Having said that, I can NOT hate on Jerry for the team we're fielding right now. The Cowboys, when healthy, has as much talent as they've had in years. But they can't stay healthy or out of COVID protocols. Is this JJ's fault? Sure, we can blame him for the culture and/or not having the best Strength & Conditioning staff. Yes, he could fire people. But some of this has to spread to McCarthy as well.
No, this isn't a dominant offensive line, and no, the defensive line isn't filled with studs, but when healthy, there's enough talent in key positions for this to team to be effective on both sides of the ball. I do believe a better coaching staff would get more production out of this team.
They have a leader for a QB who I believe still has some upside, two good RBs, 3 excellent WRs (and a decent #4 and #5 too), a solid TE (though I do miss Jarwin) - and a young stud LB/DE, two pass rushing DEs, some solid safeties and a star, young corner. There's more than enough here to have an 11-win season, and make a deep playoff run.
So, for this reason, I will not blame JJ for this. He did a decent job putting a good product on the field, so now it's up to the players and coaches to get it done. JJ's not calling plays, setting up game plans, or making in-game decisions or executing plays effectively. He's paying other people to do it.
As much as he can, after revamping the roster, he's gotten out of the way. Is he a silent owner? Nope, never has been, never will be. And he's old and tired....so he's running out of patience when seeing obvious mishaps in judgement and coaching that we all see. Good. I want him to rattle some cages.
So, even though I've had my fair share of complaints about JJ over the years,
this year it's primarily about the players and coaches. No excuses. They're going to have to maximize the talent that they do have, and win some more games. If they don't, it's on the players and coaches, well...mostly on them, IMO.
