Am I alone? I believe this team will go to the SB if we stay healthy

[DFWJC]

lol

Its more like "sans '14 finishing 8-8 and losing to a better team the last game of the season"

Somehow this Commanders franchise has more division titles than the Cowboys this decade.

You know its June when the national media and Cowboy fans are talking Superbowl. A fun annual tradition

The national media is talking Cowboys' Super Bowl?

Link please

 

[JoeKing]

Tony has never been a game manager...not that I agree or disagree with what you are saying...but it'll be interesting if Tony can make this transition successfully or not...I still think he this he's more than a game manager..itll be interesting to see this one play out

What? Romo is the ultimate game changer. Once he was sidelined last season, the outcome of games should have told you this. He makes the difference.

 

[JoeKing]

The national media is talking Cowboys' Super Bowl?

Link please

You don't have a link to the national media? Go anywhere.

 

[DFWJC]

You don't have a link to the national media? Go anywhere.

The Commanders fan said that the national media was hyping the Cowboys for the Super Bowl and I don't recall seeing that, so I asked him to prove it.

Does that seem far-fetched? Why are you making snarky remarks to me while defending a Skins fan--when I was not even addressing you?

The latest ESPN power ranking that I saw had Dallas at 11..
The latest NFL.com ranking had Dallas 15th.

It think they're better than that, but I'm sure not seeing Super Bowl hype.

 

[Doomsday101]

Last year at this time Denver was a 12 to 1 odds and Carolina 40 to 1.... Top 4 GB, Sea, Indy and NE failed to get there. Odds at this stage mean little

 

[Idgit]

A Super Bowl is just so hard to win or even get to. Even for the great teams on paper, a lot has to go right during the season. Making the playoffs should be the more realistic goal and then let the chips fall where they may from there, just so many questions,, especially on defense.

Yep. Too many variables. Just got to get there and hope to be healthy and get hot at the end. It's obviously a tough thing to beat 4 really good teams in a row after a 16 games of attrition.

 

[RS12]

Am I alone? I believe this team will go to the SB if we stay healthy

I dont see it. I see it pretty much see it the way Vegas does. Three teams in the NFC are better, and two others the same or better. I dont see enough going right or the coaching staff in place to over come it. Also I dont see enough improvement on defense.

 

[JBS]

What? Romo is the ultimate game changer. Once he was sidelined last season, the outcome of games should have told you this. He makes the difference.

That's not a game manager...not to me..a game manager is a bus driver

Romo isn't a bus driver...Romo is a difference maker...they're not the same

 

[Chuck 54]

OP....stranger things have happened, but no, I don't see any way this team gets to the SB without some really weird stuff going on.

Frankly, I've settled for just hoping to get to the playoffs the next couple years and having some excitement in the post-season before Romo rides off into the sunset. I don't think his timeline and that of the team are as close as many wish to believe. Doesn't mean it can't happen, but the Vegas odds would be long.

 

[KJJ]

Why are the chances less if the corp group is basically the same? Actually, the core group is better on the offensive line because they're more experienced.

Our chances are less because the 2014 season was a fluke. We caught everyone by surprise giving us the chance to have a magical year and it didn't happen. Our defense caught up with us in the playoffs against a great QB. We then returned back to the team we were. Even with Romo last season we looked like the 8-8 teams we have been. I don't see us having a season like 2014 again under Romo and the main part of our core group including Romo is aging along with Witten who's becoming slower every year. Romo is coming off an injury plagued season and at 36 time isn't on his side. Garrett is once again on the hot seat and if he gets the boot in the next year or two we'll be starting over and Romo may need to be replaced by then. The Cowboys have only had 4 playoff teams in the 10 years Romo has been the QB. Even as poor to average a division as the NFC East has been the past several years the Cowboys have only made the playoffs once the past 5 years.

It's the same coaching staff that went 12-4, what are the issues with Romo healthy? Did they somehow forget what they did?

They did forget by allowing the catalyst for that 12-4 team to leave because they thought any back could do what he did behind our OL. Not having a running game the first 2 weeks had Romo back to having to carry the team and it ended up getting him injured. Like I said the 2014 season was a fluke!

Everything I've read across the board says the defense will be better. Sean Lee missed the entire 2014 season. Byron Jones is an immediate upgrade at safety, Cedric Thorton is the best run stopper we've had in a long time and there is some depth on the defensive line that simply wasn't there in 2014. The defense is far removed from those awful 8-8 defenses and are at least middle of the road now. Even mentioning the 2009 defense is laughable. Six years in the NFL is virtually a generation of players removed.

Everything you're reading on this board that says the defense will be better is from FANS. I'm not saying the defense won't be better but a lot of players are going to have to step up if it's going to be better. We'll find out if Jones is an immediate upgrade at safety because the jury is still out on him. Mo was suppose to be an immediate upgrade at corner when he arrived and that didn't happen so Jones is going to have to prove himself. I don't anoint anyone until I see some great play on the field. As for Thornton we'll see how he fits in and how he plays with the players he has around him. Many argued that Henry Melton would be a huge upgrade in 2014 and he only lasted that one season with the Cowboys. Not saying Thorton won't pan out but let's wait and see how he fits in. We've been seeing the same issues with the defense for more than a decade. We've had issues mounting a consistent pass rush for years and we've had issues in the secondary since the late 90s/early 2000s.

One of the reasons Romo stayed healthy in 2014 was that he didn't have to carry the team.

He didn't stay healthy in 2014 he suffered another back injury that cost him a game that he had to deal with most of the rest of that season.

I think everything you mentioned is the exact opposite and I think we absolutely have a legitimate shot at the Super Bowl.

I think you're wrong. I'm not saying we won't have a good team if Romo says healthy, if Dez returns to form and Zeke is everything we think he'll be. We could have a very good team but the defense will still be way behind the offense. Teams that win SB's had defenses that could pressure the QB at key moments and make critical stops while our D consistently struggles in those areas and it's been going on for years. We don't have the pass rush or secondary to stop an elite QB from shredding us and you usually run into an elite QB in the playoffs. We have a terrific offense with a healthy Romo and a mediocre at best defense until it finally proves otherwise.

 

[JoeKing]

The Commanders fan said that the national media was hyping the Cowboys for the Super Bowl and I don't recall seeing that, so I asked him to prove it.

Does that seem far-fetched? Why are you making snarky remarks to me while defending a Skins fan--when I was not even addressing you?

The latest ESPN power ranking that I saw had Dallas at 11..
The latest NFL.com ranking had Dallas 15th.

It think they're better than that, but I'm sure not seeing Super Bowl hype.

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015...bowl-odds-dallas-cowboys-with-sixth-best-odds

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ses-super-bowl-win-in-2016-for-dallas-cowboys

Just a quick 30 sec search.

 

[JoeKing]

That's not a game manager...not to me..a game manager is a bus driver

Romo isn't a bus driver...Romo is a difference maker...they're not the same

Did I say manager? No, I said Romo is a game changer. I know the difference.

 

[DFWJC]

http://www.bloggingtheboys.com/2015...bowl-odds-dallas-cowboys-with-sixth-best-odds

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...ses-super-bowl-win-in-2016-for-dallas-cowboys

Just a quick 30 sec search.

Both 2015 articles
We are talking about this year.

Again, why are you defending a Skins fan that is trolling our site?
traitor

 

[JoeKing]

Both 2015 articles
We are talking about this year.

Again, why are you defending a Skins fan that is trolling our site?
traitor

So if they were saying that about the Cowboys last year, aren't expectations of this year just as high with improvements in many areas?

 

[DFWJC]

So if they were saying that about the Cowboys last year, aren't expectations of this year just as high with improvements in many areas?

I'm saying I have not seen it.
The two most visible rankings (ESPN and NFL) that I've seen have Dallas 15th and 11th. I think I may have seen us as high as 8th...but never top 2 or top 4.
So...I asked for a link for the guy who was saying otherwise.
Pretty harmless request and straight forward...not sure why you felt a need to jump in.

 

[JoeKing]

I'm saying I have not seen it.
The two most visible rankings (ESPN and NFL) that I've seen have Dallas 15th and 11th. I think I may have seen us as high as 8th...but never top 2 or top 4.
So...I asked for a link for the guy who was saying otherwise.
Pretty harmless request and straight forward...not sure why you felt a need to jump in.

If you think is a good source to get such info then what did you really expect? ESPN hates Dallas.

 

[percyhoward]

That defense was #20 in yards that year. Because teams had to throw like crazy to try to keep up with their offense. They led the league in turnovers that year. I think that's the most realistic expectation of our defense holding their own for the team. Even the following year the Packers didn't have a shut down defense but they were real good at getting turnovers and they also won the sb with a similar strategy.

I wish it were simply a strategy, or formula, but it was really just great pass defense. The 2009 Saints (#3) and 2010 Packers (#1) were among the league's best in defensive passer rating. Efficiency -- not yards -- is what wins games. In 2015, Dallas was #5 in the league in passing yards allowed, but 20th in DPR. If those rankings had been reversed, we'd have challenged for the division last year.

Defensive Passer Rating (Opposing QB's rating vs. Defense)
The first number includes all games in regular and postseason. The number in parentheses is postseason only.
SB winner's DPR
2010 Packers 67.3 (67.8)
2011 Giants 85.5 (83.1)
2012 Ravens 78.6 (72.4)
2013 Seahawks 65.1 (73.5)
2014 Patriots 82.3 (73.0)
2015 Broncos 76.2 (66.3)
AVG: 75.8
Playoff avg: 72.7

Cowboys' DPR
2010 92.8
2011 88.4
2012 94.7
2013 96.0
2014 90.4
2015 94.2
AVG: 92.8
Playoff avg: 104.8

 

[Idgit]

I wish it were simply a strategy, or formula, but it was really just great pass defense. The 2009 Saints (#3) and 2010 Packers (#1) were among the league's best in defensive passer rating. Efficiency -- not yards -- is what wins games. In 2015, Dallas was #5 in the league in passing yards allowed, but 20th in DPR. If those rankings had been reversed, we'd have challenged for the division last year.

Defensive Passer Rating (Opposing QB's rating vs. Defense)
The first number includes all games in regular and postseason. The number in parentheses is postseason only.
SB winner's DPR
2010 Packers 67.3 (67.8)
2011 Giants 85.5 (83.1)
2012 Ravens 78.6 (72.4)
2013 Seahawks 65.1 (73.5)
2014 Patriots 82.3 (73.0)
2015 Broncos 76.2 (66.3)
AVG: 75.8
Playoff avg: 72.7
Cowboys' DPR
2010 92.8
2011 88.4
2012 94.7
2013 96.0
2014 90.4
2015 94.2
AVG: 92.8
Playoff avg: 104.8

This drives me so crazy.

And generally speaking, I think it's easier to field a good defense than it is a good offense. We just haven't devoted enough resources to it under Garrett. And a couple of the big chances we did take (Carr, Hardy, Claiborne, Gregory) didn't really pan out. Or maybe we did, actually devote the resources and they just didn't work out well/yet. Either way, it's annoying.

Only slightly less annoying is the fact that this isn't what fans tend to complain about. They complain about play calling and clock management, when the reality is, we haven't done even a decent job stopping opposing QBs since, what, 2007?

 

[cowboyblue22]

the defense has been the problem for the dallas cowboys all the time tony has been here. A lot of the players they have taken that should of been good players were average at best or not at all but yes you are right its the defense always has been.

 

[KJJ]

Forgot to mention all the third-downs the Giants converted in the playoffs in 2007. Everyone focuses on Crayton's drop and Romo's last ditch INT in the end zone to end the game but that was another playoff game our defense cost us during the Romo era.