News: TLH: Realistic 2022 NFC East outlook and prediction for the Cowboys

jazzcat22 said:

There are a lot of Philly slobberers on here. Many times I believe they are more Eagles fans than Cowboys fans.

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There is no doubt Eagles fans on here that pretend to be Cowboys fans.

The Eagles' chances boil down to Hurts' performance as a passer. I've followed Hurts since college. He's a nice guy, unflappable, but he's just not a very good throwing quarterback. A glorified Tim Tebow with more athleticism. I just don't see much improvement.

The Cowboys' chances boil down to our offensive line. Dak doesn't do well when he doesn't get maximum protection, and he's not going to use his legs like Hurts will. So our offensive line needs to protect him better.

Whichever of the two chances wins out, that is the team that takes the division crowd.

I also wouldn't rule out Washington either. Chase Young is coming back and the Commanders have a monster of a defensive line.

IMHO…

In 2021, there was a HUGE gap. We beat Philly by three TDs twice. While they acquired a higher number of talented players, the closing gap should be mostly negated by several factors. I believe we’ll be stronger at LG, TE and RB. I also think our defense will take another step up.

Flamma said:

Think of what the Eagles did last year. They started off somewhere between balanced to pass heavy. Hell, they only ran the ball 3 times against us, not counting Hurts. They went 3-6.

Then they're schedule softened up and they went to a run heavy offense. Hurts was part of that offense. They went 6-2. They have a pretty soft schedule this year so I think they'll stay ahead in the win column. Might even have a better record than us until we play them in week 6. So at what point would you pull the QB? It's a tricky situation. Even though they aren't winning through the air, they may be winning on the ground and Hurts is part of that run game. I don't think they pull Hurts if the team has an above .500 record.

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I think you are correct. At least for the first part of the season, Eagles have a better record.

CowboyRoy said:

Personally I think if and when Tyron Smith goes down this line and offense will be in real trouble again.

Most of us know that Zeke cant go anywhere without huge holes and great blocking.

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Yep, both in the running and passing game. No matter what people think about Tyrone now, anyone else filling in for him is a significant downgrade. Until I see otherwise, I won't believe differently.

tyke1doe said:

The Eagles' chances boil down to Hurts' performance as a passer. I've followed Hurts since college. He's a nice guy, unflappable, but he's just not a very good throwing quarterback. A glorified Tim Tebow with more athleticism. I just don't see much improvement.

The Cowboys' chances boil down to our offensive line. Dak doesn't do well when he doesn't get maximum protection, and he's not going to use his legs like Hurts will. So our offensive line needs to protect him better.

Whichever of the two chances wins out, that is the team that takes the division crowd.

I also wouldn't rule out Washington either. Chase Young is coming back and the Commanders have a monster of a defensive line.

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Its actually zeke and the run game that cant function with proper blocking. No QB is going to play great with poor pass blocking and no run game.

Flamma said:

Yep, both in the running and passing game. No matter what people think about Tyrone now, anyone else filling in for him is a significant downgrade. Until I see otherwise, I won't believe differently.

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#1 pick next year is going to be either a tackle or guard. This will be Smith's last year as a Cowboy.

Tyler Smith probably kicks out to LT if he plays well this year and they draft a guard or Center with the first pick.

CowboyRoy said:

I never stated otherwise. Just remember that the Eagles still made the playoffs and if Hurts shows improvement this is no cake walk. You can sit there and now worry about it all you want, but its a real thing.

As far as the Cowboys it comes down to D improvement and the state of the Oline. Personally I think if and when Tyron Smith goes down this line and offense will be in real trouble again.

Most of us know that Zeke cant go anywhere without huge holes and great blocking. Thats where the dominoes start to fall with bad Oline play.

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Not saying the Eagles won't be a problem, they will be, they usually are. I even think the Commanders can be also. Even with Wentz at QB, he is far better than what they trotted out there for a very long time. But did they improve their defense. I think they were over rated from 2020, and with Young out most of 2021 I am not sure their defense suffered some or not. He was not doing much before his injury.

I think the D will be better as most of the team returns and a few decent additions. They really did not lose anyone player that is significant, and replaced those they did lose.
It is the 2nd year under Quinn, so naturally they should be better. Still need to improve stopping the run though.

Yes, the offense goes as the OL goes. We seen this too many times over the past 2 to 3 years. Hopefully Zeke and Tony are 100% now, they should be. But Moore needs to use them correctly as he did in the 1st 6 games last year. Add a few extra plays for Tony, especially in the passing game. He is more dangerous in open space.

I won't say they need a 50-50 split, some do. It really is a moot point to say one way or the other. I guess it depends on how each performs week to week. But Tony does need more touches, and they need to on the field together more often.
This is a make or break season for both RB's. Zeke a possible cap casualty, or a restructure (depending his performance), Tony will be a FA, how much will he demand as opposed to keeping Zeke. Much less, but can he handle the full load, or bring in another RB, who knows. That is next years issue or one of them.

Tyron goes down and he usually does, yes, the offense struggles more, again.

CowboyRoy said:

You can brush them off that easily. Even with Hurts they made the playoffs last year. And they added at least 2 or 3 pro bowl level types at key positions. Hurts is also entering his 3rd season and if he is going to make a leap to legitimate QB it would be this year. And he now has big time weapons to throw to in AJ Brown, Goedert, and rookie WR from last year. Hurts can definitely hurt you with his legs. Can he develop more as a passer?

Key for the Cowboys will be can the defense take the next step to an elite/shutdown unit? They will have to shore up the run D for that.

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Right, which was the reason for my opening comment. What can be said about the division if the Eagles can win it? Like the year before when Wash. won it at 7-9. Congrats.

I'm not worried about Hurts making a leap. I'm worried about our OL and our team struggling down the stretch.

CowboyRoy said:

#1 pick next year is going to be either a tackle or guard. This will be Smith's last year as a Cowboy.

Tyler Smith probably kicks out to LT if he plays well this year and they draft a guard or Center with the first pick.

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Next year is Smith's last year of his contract. I think if he plays 10+ games this year they keep him for his last. Remember, they can draft his replacement and still keep him.

My thinking is because he won't be a cap issue next year. Dallas is looking to roll over quite a bit, and Tyrone will easily fit under that. And we all know the Cowboys aren't going to spend like drunken Jerry used to in the off season.

That said, logic would dictate you to be right.

CowboyRoy said:

Its actually zeke and the run game that cant function with proper blocking. No QB is going to play great with poor pass blocking and no run game.

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There are times when Dak has enough time but doesn't get rid of the ball. We saw it in the Niners game.
And since our offense is pass-dominated, I focused on it and not the running game.

zrinkill said:

41 - 21
51 - 26

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Which has literally no bearing on what happens a season later.

2019, we blew them out in the first game. Using your logic we should have then won the 2nd and yet we lost and it cost us a playoff spot.

I give the nod to Dallas on QB but that is all. Is that enough?

PHL played team ball better than Dallas did the last half of the season and once they figured out it was about running the ball, they righted their ship.

I think all of the East teams share in one area, none of them has a QB that can carry the team. They all need help with the overall team and coaching. And I do not see that the Cowboys improved in the overall team or coaching.

I do not think Kellen Moore is an OC that can help his QB when he is struggling and has to have him hitting on all cylinders and McC had Favre and Rodgers as his QB's. A lot of coaches might get that "QB guru" title with them.

What is interesting is that many posters here give a nod to the rookie picks having impact for Dallas but not for PHL. If Dean is healthy, he could have an immediate impact on their front 7 like Parsons did for Dallas. They are designed to run the ball and stop the run.

Philly - 10-7
Cowboys - 8-9
Washington - 7-10
Giants - 7-10

One thing about Jalen Hurts, he doesn't know he's as bad as we'd like to think.

I watched him take that benching in the champs game and continue to lead his team from the sideline, I saw him take over at OU and lead that team and he has led his Eagles team. There are intangibles to some QB's that defy description and he is as good a team leader as any QB in the game.

And a leader of a team is not the same as a leader of a gathering of individuals, which is what I consider the Cowboys.

The Eagles lost their playoff game as a team; the Cowboys lost theirs as individuals. The Eagles lost to a better team; the Cowboys did not.

Of course the Eagles had a better off-season. 2 first round picks plus their other moves compared to our simply letting the draft fall to us is going to look ugly.

Dallas can win this division for sure. Even with the drop off in talent at some positions, the Cowboys have enough to win the East. The question is, can they overcome their 26 year history of never repeating as NFCE champs?

IMO, It’s an organizational problem more than a talent issue.

Bobhaze said:

Dallas can win this division for sure. Even with the drop off in talent at some positions, the Cowboys have enough to win the East. The question is, can they overcome their 26 year history of never repeating as NFCE champs?

IMO, It’s an organizational problem more than a talent issue.

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If the OL stays healthy and are better than last year, I think we can. All we did was shed some dead skin in this offseason. I don't think that's going to have much impact.

Go back to 2016 for reference. Our OL was still very good. Who did Dak have to throw to? Rookie Dak to Dez, TWill, an aging Witten, and Beasley. And Dez was out multiple games and Dallas didn't skip a beat. Not exactly the greatest show on turf. Of course Zeke played a huge role. But like someone else on here said, without a run game and pressure in your face, no QB is going to have a good day.

Bobhaze said:

Dallas can win this division for sure. Even with the drop off in talent at some positions, the Cowboys have enough to win the East. The question is, can they overcome their 26 year history of never repeating as NFCE champs?

IMO, It’s an organizational problem more than a talent issue.

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The organizational issue comes down to one thing.

If I am a player for this team, I have to ask myself "what am I paid to do"? "What is my job"?

Do you think these players think their job is to win games? These players haven't been drafted or signed in free agency, they've been signed to be in a reality TV show. They can be a star and win absolutely nothing.

It all stems from there being no downside for ownership in not winning. That rolls downhill to the players. They even get defended by the owner in the media. The whole team is so inside the loop that they have no idea what it looks like outside it and why fans are so pissed.

The Cowboys should have Russell Crowe on the Boogertron after every home game with "are you not entertained"? Because that's what it is and that's all it is.

I don't disagree with this assessment at all. But I think we need to watch out for the Giants too. They did some really good things in the offseason, starting with rebuilding their offensive line, which was by far their biggest weakness. But with a competent OL to block for Danny Dimes, and open holes for Barkley, the Giants might be surprisingly good on offense. On defense they may struggle against the pass, having had to cut their best CB. But I would not rule them out, especially late in the season.

I think the Cowboys are just so difficult to assess this year. And that is why we are so down on them right now. For them to win they need a lot to go right. Of course they have to be injury free, but that goes for every team. But they need the DTs to make a big improvement over last year. They need someone to step up and do what Gregory did - apply pressure for all angles on the QB. They need to repeat the spectacular year they had creating turnovers. The need Dak to be good for 17 games or at least 15 games. They need a WR to step up and be the #1 guy. They need the OL to improve. Steele has to be solid at RT. Tyler Smith has to stop holding and play inside effectively. Biadasz needs to improve over last year, or someone like Farniok has to step up and take his job. Tyron has to stay healthy or Ball or someone has to prove to be an effective backup left tackle. Zeke needs be at full speed the entire season. They need a solid kicker.

All the Eagles need is for Hurts not to screw up and give the ball away. I think there is actually a good chance he make a big improvement this year. If the Eagles stay healthy I think they will win the division and even win some playoff games. They don't need Hurts to be great. Just look at the Eagles roster. There are no big holes or question marks on either side of the ball, except Hurts. People are expecting Hurts to be so bad the Eagles will lose despite the rest of their roster. I do not think that will happen. On paper, the Eagles should win the division easily this year.

But this may change quickly once we see them play a game or two.