A question for NON Cowboys Fans (ie timbo, PT, the skins fans, etc)

[Crown Royal]

I was reading through the draft threads, and have figured out that the overwhelming majority of us Cowboys fans think that we have talent enough everywhere to win a SuperBowl and that we don't really have any glaring needs.

But in thinking of that, I started thinking of other teams in the NFL, and realized that I don't see any team that can't afford to improve in some area, and can't see why we would be any different. I think it is because we are so familiar with our own team that, even though it isn't quite homering out, we might have inflated hopes for what we think.

I was hoping that you all, in a respectful outside opinion, could provide what you think is our team needs/weaknesses. Where do you think we lack talent and should improve, if anywhere?

A note:

1) To Cowboys Fans - please be respectful to opposition fans here. They are stating an opinion, there is no need to attack them for that, especially since I am being asked for it. Feel free to discuss, but allow them try to support it.

2) To the non Cowboys fans - please still remember this is a Cowboys board and that you should be able to answer this rationally and with interest to the audience this board caters to. Please don't just say "all positions" or "TO is the worst WR in the league' or some tom-foolery. I'd like to see this thread be productive and different.

 

[firehawk350]

Well, I think mostly, you don't have glaring needs, just a lot of question marks. I mean, take Romo for instance, it seems most Cowboys fans think that he's it. But he had as much up as he did down last season. Combine that with a couple of bad plays, and he could have been a spark in the pan. He could be the real deal though, so like I said, not a weakness per se, but definitely not a sure thing.
RB, your not weak here at all, but your not great either. You have a good duo but you don't have a back who is the complete package, you have two backs combined that make a complete package, but they can't both carry the ball *edited for clarity* at the same time.
OL... A lot has been made of O-line, and with Davis possibly filling in as LG, it should be better, but it won't be great. Flo is a year older, and Kosier is passable. It's getting there though, a smart draft to replace these two, and you can be good/great within a year or two.
Corner and FS... Other then Newman, you don't have a great cover guy in the backfield, and that's a major issue. Anthony Henry has to be one of the most penalized (in terms of yards) people in the league. He just hasn't been the same since his injury. And Aaron Glenn is just getting old... The bad part is corners were insanely overpriced this offseason, so I don't blame Jerry for standing pat, but corners in the draft are always huge gambles and take a year or two to get good even if they are going to be great. So failing some miraculous comeback by Henry or some corner out of the draft who is just insanely naturally talented, I don't see it being fixed immediately. Also, you have a grip of back-ups at FS and a very raw project who may never be starting quality at FS. He could be good though, he's a giant.

 

[AmishCowboy]

This should be an interesting thread.:cop2:

 

[Phoenix-Talon]

I was reading through the draft threads, and have figured out that the overwhelming majority of us Cowboys fans think that we have talent enough everywhere to win a SuperBowl and that we don't really have any glaring needs.

But in thinking of that, I started thinking of other teams in the NFL, and realized that I don't see any team that can't afford to improve in some area, and can't see why we would be any different. I think it is because we are so familiar with our own team that, even though it isn't quite homering out, we might have inflated hopes for what we think.

I was hoping that you all, in a respectful outside opinion, could provide what you think is our team needs/weaknesses. Where do you think we lack talent and should improve, if anywhere?

Crown Royal, I believe football fans of future generations will grow to appreciate the value of an opponent fans perspective. Countless times, I've seen opponent fans (not just here, but on other MBs as well), try to express their opinion, and get met with harsh ridicule or insults. Albeit, there are perspectives that are laced with underlining motives, there are also blatant vicious perspectives aimed at flaming or even worse.

Despite the fact that there are certain Cowboy fans here who will take this opportunity to feel they much reciprocate on components of a perspective that they do not concur with ... I accept your request for an opponent perspective.

From this Eagles' fan perspective, the state of the Cowboys is strong. That's based on the only barometer that makes any sense ...the 2006 Regular Season! Consider the fact that Romo is not what I'd consider a "season veteran," he has done an excellent job in his newly acquired leadership role.

But his experiences (at Least up until the last regular season game with Seattle) have been for the most part very successful (to include his appearance at the probowl). Questions: Is Romo fully recovered from the Seattle game or will the feelings of heavy guilt and remorse from being solely responsible (I know that's debatable ...but remember this is an opponent fans perspective) for Dallas not going into the playoff/and certainly not relinquishing the NFC-East Title to the Eagles.

I've heard many team fandoms from all over the NFL state that the Dallas Cowboy's Offensive Line is not strong. But from what I've seen, the Cowboy's OL is not weak either. I see some tweaking and replacements needed to provide some much needed coverage for Romo or his veteran backup QB.

Pockets in your DL are apparent from misreads and mavericKs. One gentleman that comes to mind is Mr. Roy Williams. I've even heard Cowboy fans say that he may have been just a little bit too heavy in 2006. Well that certainly changeable. But your secondary depends on Roy and sometimes (perhaps too often) compensate for his performance. Make no mistake about it, if Roy gets a bead on an opponent player ...he'll take him out! But is that enough to makeup for miscues/misreads when it becomes necessary for man-to-man coverage?

In closing, I'll say that there's a lot of talk about JJ and whether or not he's got to become trade fodder. The mere buzz about that indicates a dissatisfied Cowboys GM regarding their ability to produce significant numbers in their ground game (moving the chains in 3rd and short or while In the red zone).

Strengths:

I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of your strong receiver corp, special team coverage, and FG kicking staff.

Questionable: Not enough information about how your New headcoach will respond to individual players, other coaches, and how the team will respond to him. The 2007 regular season will answer that question.

And so, I agree with Crown Royal as he's stated that "all" teams have weaknesses that they can build on ...the Eagles are certainly not exempt from that fact. While all fans from all fandoms have inflated hopes of taking it all ...I believe that all of the teams will become stronger in the 2007 regular season.

Good hunting.

 

[bbgun]

the overwhelming majority of us Cowboys fans think that we have talent enough everywhere to win a SuperBowl

Hmm. If that were true, I doubt Bill would have left. Does anybody know how many coaches have take their team to a Super Bowl in their first year with a new club?

 

[Crown Royal]

Hmm. If that were true, I doubt Bill would have left. Does anybody know how many coaches have take their team to a Super Bowl in their first year with a new club?

Well considering that Parcells and every report on him states that he felt this team was the most talented he's had since he was here, that he felt they could compete with anyone, and that he left because he didn't feel he had it in him, I'd say that speaks something about our talent.

And Gruden is the first one I can think of.

 

[bbgun]

Well considering that Parcells and every report on him states that he felt this team was the most talented he's had since he was here, that he felt they could compete with anyone, and that he left because he didn't feel he had it in him, I'd say that speaks something about our talent.

And Gruden is the first one I can think of.

He came to Dallas to win Super Bowls. He wouldn't have left if he felt we were on the verge of something special. Period. The rest is self-serving window dressing.

Red Miller was another first-timer.

 

[Bleu Star]

My popcorn is ready for this thread.

 

[Billy Bullocks]

I think its good to get an outsiders oppinion. Because alot of what has been said is spot on.

For instance, Romo certainly looks like he COULD be the real deal. But they are right, MOST of the bounces went his way. Then look at the Detroit or New Orleans game, and you see how when things don't go right, he looks far from an all-star. As a Cowboys fan, I think that he definately has got what it takes, but as an outsider I could see why you are skeptical. And I accept it, because I give 2 QB's in the league a pass on anything, Manning and Brady.

The OL. Kosier was a good pick up. BUt he's slightly above average. THen again, most winning teams have lunch pail type of guys starting. Colombo was exceptional for us. Adams is a big concern at times, he has trouble with speed rushers.

Defensively, we can say what we want about Roy Williams numbers. He has issues covering people. Anthony Henry is a good #2, but he gets burnt alot. Not really his fault teams don't test Newman too often. Watkins is screaming with potential, but he hasn't found a way to utilize it just yet. So yeah, as an outsider, I would pick this unit apart.

Brady James needs to show more. We all love Spears and Canty, but they leave much to be desired at times.

Theres not nessecarily too many needs for us in the draft, BUT, there are definately players I think we are counting on heavily to step up if we want to take that step into the NFL's elite teams.

 

[DragonCowboy]

OL... A lot has been made of O-line, and with Davis possibly filling in as LG, it should be better, but it won't be great. Flo is a year older, and Kosier is passable. It's getting there though, a smart draft to replace these two, and you can be good/great within a year or two.

I agree with your post, but I just wanted to clear something up in case you didn't know.

Davis will most likely replace Marco Rivera at the RG position.

Which made me wonder, did you know that Kosier was playing at the LG position and not the RG position?

Just making sure, again, I agree with your post.

 

[Aikbach]

Well considering that Parcells and every report on him states that he felt this team was the most talented he's had since he was here, that he felt they could compete with anyone, and that he left because he didn't feel he had it in him, I'd say that speaks something about our talent.

And Gruden is the first one I can think of.

Switzer almost who then did it in year two, George Seifert won in 1989 in his first year as well.

That is all that comes to mind however Jon Gruden, George Seifert, Barry Switzer (almost, close enough). All of them inherited readymade champions so Phillips is not that long a shot in today's parody league and with Dallas' talent.

 

[Rampage]

Well, I think mostly, you don't have glaring needs, just a lot of question marks. I mean, take Romo for instance, it seems most Cowboys fans think that he's it. But he had as much up as he did down last season. Combine that with a couple of bad plays, and he could have been a spark in the pan. He could be the real deal though, so like I said, not a weakness per se, but definitely not a sure thing.
RB, your not weak here at all, but your not great either. You have a good duo but you don't have a back who is the complete package, you have two backs combined that make a complete package, but they can't both carry the ball *edited for clarity* at the same time.
OL... A lot has been made of O-line, and with Davis possibly filling in as LG, it should be better, but it won't be great. Flo is a year older, and Kosier is passable. It's getting there though, a smart draft to replace these two, and you can be good/great within a year or two.
Corner and FS... Other then Newman, you don't have a great cover guy in the backfield, and that's a major issue. Anthony Henry has to be one of the most penalized (in terms of yards) people in the league. He just hasn't been the same since his injury. And Aaron Glenn is just getting old... The bad part is corners were insanely overpriced this offseason, so I don't blame Jerry for standing pat, but corners in the draft are always huge gambles and take a year or two to get good even if they are going to be great. So failing some miraculous comeback by Henry or some corner out of the draft who is just insanely naturally talented, I don't see it being fixed immediately. Also, you have a grip of back-ups at FS and a very raw project who may never be starting quality at FS. He could be good though, he's a giant.

please explain that statement?

 

[DragonCowboy]

Crown Royal, I believe football fans of future generations will grow to appreciate the value of an opponent fans perspective. Countless times, I've seen opponent fans (not just here, but on other MBs as well), try to express their opinion, and get met with harsh ridicule or insults. Albeit, there are perspectives that are laced with underlining motives, there are also blatant vicious perspectives aimed at flaming or even worse.

Despite the fact that there are certain Cowboy fans here who will take this opportunity to feel they much reciprocate on components of a perspective that they do not concur with ... I accept your request for an opponent perspective.

From this Eagles' fan perspective, the state of the Cowboys is strong. That's based on the only barometer that makes any sense ...the 2006 Regular Season! Consider the fact that Romo is not what I'd consider a "season veteran," he has done an excellent job in his newly acquired leadership role.

But his experiences (at Least up until the last regular season game with Seattle) have been for the most part very successful (to include his appearance at the probowl). Questions: Is Romo fully recovered from the Seattle game or will the feelings of heavy guilt and remorse from being solely responsible (I know that's debatable ...but remember this is an opponent fans perspective) for Dallas not going into the playoff/and certainly not relinquishing the NFC-East Title to the Eagles.

I've heard many team fandoms from all over the NFL state that the Dallas Cowboy's Offensive Line is not strong. But from what I've seen, the Cowboy's OL is not weak either. I see some tweaking and replacements needed to provide some much needed coverage for Romo or his veteran backup QB.

Pockets in your DL are apparent from misreads and mavericKs. One gentleman that comes to mind is Mr. Roy Williams. I've even heard Cowboy fans say that he may have been just a little bit too heavy in 2006. Well that certainly changeable. But your secondary depends on Roy and sometimes (perhaps too often) compensate for his performance. Make no mistake about it, if Roy gets a bead on an opponent player ...he'll take him out! But is that enough to makeup for miscues/misreads when it becomes necessary for man-to-man coverage?

In closing, I'll say that there's a lot of talk about JJ and whether or not he's got to become trade fodder. The mere buzz about that indicates a dissatisfied Cowboys GM regarding their ability to produce significant numbers in their ground game (moving the chains in 3rd and short or while In the red zone).

Strengths:

I'd be remiss if I didn't make mention of your strong receiver corp, special team coverage, and FG kicking staff.

Questionable: Not enough information about how your New headcoach will respond to individual players, other coaches, and how the team will respond to him. The 2007 regular season will answer that question.

And so, I agree with Crown Royal as he's stated that "all" teams have weaknesses that they can build on ...the Eagles are certainly not exempt from that fact. While all fans from all fandoms have inflated hopes of taking it all ...I believe that all of the teams will become stronger in the 2007 regular season.

Good hunting.

Just a few thoughts:

IMO, Romo's season was not "excellent", in fact I would say it was highly inconsistent, but other than that, I agree with your assessment of the QB position.

Another thing that caught my eye was when you said, "not moving the chains on 3rd down or in the red zone". I believe that Marion Barber III is in there at the time, so how would that affect Jerry's opinion of Julius? Although I do agree, Julius simply did not break enough tackles and see the open field, whatever the reason.


Side NOte: I'm surprised nobody mentioned our linebackers...

 

[DragonCowboy]

please explain that statement?

He's saying that we think that Romo is going to be our next great QB, but he has been (and it's true) inconsistent.

 

[CF74]

Well, I think mostly, you don't have glaring needs, just a lot of question marks. I mean, take Romo for instance, it seems most Cowboys fans think that he's it. But he had as much up as he did down last season. Combine that with a couple of bad plays, and he could have been a spark in the pan. He could be the real deal though, so like I said, not a weakness per se, but definitely not a sure thing.
RB, your not weak here at all, but your not great either. You have a good duo but you don't have a back who is the complete package, you have two backs combined that make a complete package, but they can't both carry the ball *edited for clarity* at the same time.
OL... A lot has been made of O-line, and with Davis possibly filling in as LG, it should be better, but it won't be great. Flo is a year older, and Kosier is passable. It's getting there though, a smart draft to replace these two, and you can be good/great within a year or two.
Corner and FS... Other then Newman, you don't have a great cover guy in the backfield, and that's a major issue. Anthony Henry has to be one of the most penalized (in terms of yards) people in the league. He just hasn't been the same since his injury. And Aaron Glenn is just getting old... The bad part is corners were insanely overpriced this offseason, so I don't blame Jerry for standing pat, but corners in the draft are always huge gambles and take a year or two to get good even if they are going to be great. So failing some miraculous comeback by Henry or some corner out of the draft who is just insanely naturally talented, I don't see it being fixed immediately. Also, you have a grip of back-ups at FS and a very raw project who may never be starting quality at FS. He could be good though, he's a giant.

Very well said, we also need depth at NT but I agree 100%. I'm hoping Romo gets better and this is the last year I'm gonna ask for an extension on Julius. He played that one game angry and he did very very well...

 

[Rampage]

He's saying that we think that Romo is going to be our next great QB, but he has been (and it's true) inconsistent.

yeah but he had more ups than downs. remember the defense couldn't stop a highschool jv team in the final 5 or 6 games

 

[DragonCowboy]

yeah but he had more ups than downs. remember the defense couldn't stop a highschool jv team in the final 5 or 6 games

Yeah, tis true.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

He came to Dallas to win Super Bowls. He wouldn't have left if he felt we were on the verge of something special. Period. The rest is self-serving window dressing.

Red Miller was another first-timer.

I thought so too... but upon further review... I dont believe he could have made it through another season AND... I dont think that he felt that HE could get them to SB and win it...