Am I the only one?

[RS12]

Am I the only one?

If you have a good QB and OL you have a shot at going a long way every year. The Patriots fit that mold every year. This year that there OL is starting to slip you see how true this us.

 

[Blackspider214]

As good as we have looked, as fun as it has been watching the running game, and as impressive as it was to beat Seattle and be 5-1, ... we are very very close to being the same old 3-3.

Wait, don't scream and crucify me just yet.

I am as happy as anybody.

But we were down 21-0 in a game this year, .. not good. You don't always win after trailing 21-0.

Then against the Texans we win because on 3rd and 8 Dez makes an All-Time highlight catch to save the game. If that ball is not caught, which it very easily could not have been, we are punting in OT and possibly losing.

Against the Seahawks it was 3rd and 20 and TWill makes another All-Time highlight catch to save the game. That pass could have very easily been incomplete. If we punt there, Seattle has the ball with about 5:00 left. We could have very easily lost that game.

So while we are all thrilled at 5-1, with a different bounce here and there each game it could have gone the other way.

That old saying, "you have to be good, but you have to be lucky too."

We are good, no doubt, .. but we have been lucky as well.

Who cares. We are 5-1, not 3-3. Do you think the Giants cared about being lucky in their Super Bowl runs? No.

You can go through every team in the NFL and all of them are close to being a few games worse or a few games better than their record. It's how the league is. Niners were just down 14-0 to the Rams and came back and won. Packers came back from a big deficit to the lowly Jets. It happens all the time.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Who cares. Do you think the Giants cared about being lucky in their Super Bowl runs?

I do, .. it must be the coach in me.
If it happens in the Super Bowl, I won't care either.

It happens all the time.

It happens, .. but not all of the time, .. sometimes you don't make the unbelievable catch and lose.
That is the time I am talking about, and what I was concerned about.

Hey, .. I am thrilled to be 5-1 and will take it in a heartbeat, .. but if anyone is honest with themselves, they can see what I am talking about.

 

[pastordug]

I think chaos theory destroys the idea of luck,

Are you suggesting that the ball taking a "lucky" bounce happens because a butterfly flaps their wings in South America? Come on. You seem a bit more intelligent than that. I will agree on one common denominator: unexplainable.

 

[Primetime42]

That thinks that this team is more built on Luck that a "Process"?

I read an article on here that went on waxing poetically that this was the work of Garret's Process and how we are now seeing it because of the Oline overhall... and I have to kind of laugh.

Just a few days ago I was listening to the radio and they had someone on talking about how the cowboys where SOLD on drafting Ryan Shazier out of OSU.
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***...e-with-dallas-when-steelers-drafted-him.html/
And Martin was there "back up plan" And I have to think that last year and getting Fredrick was a similar situation. When they moved back and by some reports where "confused and trying to move out" of the pick again. And were "forced" to draft Fredrick. There was even stories about how they where so confused they missed on a higher rated player on there board.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...an-do-to-avoid-2013-s-draft-day-confusion.ece
and then there McClain... the MVP of our Defense. He wouldn't even be on the team if we didn't lose Lee for the season... I LOVE Lee... he's one of my favorite players... but I think McClain is out performing him comparatively to seasons previous.

So I have to give pause to this whole "process" praise I keep hearing and how we "set out to rebuild the line" with three first round picks and this was the plan. BULL CRAP. And then there is the coaches. Garrett never wanted to fire Rob Ryan and never wanted to relinquish play calling duties and HAD to bring an OC...

idk, just some thoughts...

Don't know if you know, but... that's kind of how the draft works.

See; Smith, Emmitt or Rice, Jerry

 

[TwoDeep3]

Are you suggesting that the ball taking a "lucky" bounce happens because a butterfly flaps their wings in South America? Come on. You seem a bit more intelligent than that. I will agree on one common denominator: unexplainable.

Quantify luck. Not Merry Andrew.

 

[cmoney23]

Don't know if you know, but... that's kind of how the draft works.

See; Smith, Emmitt or Rice, Jerry

Making mistakes on the players you want to draft like in 2013 and then scrambling to draft someone isn't how the draft SHOULD work. And basically drafting a LB from OSU and then at the last second losing him to the Steelers and drafting the next guy is also a little off to me.

But the point of the post isn't so much the draft or the outcome... but the hyperbole they are putting on Garrett and Jones like this was their master plan when it wasn't!

 

[xwalker]

That thinks that this team is more built on Luck that a "Process"?

I read an article on here that went on waxing poetically that this was the work of Garret's Process and how we are now seeing it because of the Oline overhall... and I have to kind of laugh.

Just a few days ago I was listening to the radio and they had someone on talking about how the cowboys where SOLD on drafting Ryan Shazier out of OSU.
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***...e-with-dallas-when-steelers-drafted-him.html/
And Martin was there "back up plan" And I have to think that last year and getting Fredrick was a similar situation. When they moved back and by some reports where "confused and trying to move out" of the pick again. And were "forced" to draft Fredrick. There was even stories about how they where so confused they missed on a higher rated player on there board.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...an-do-to-avoid-2013-s-draft-day-confusion.ece
and then there McClain... the MVP of our Defense. He wouldn't even be on the team if we didn't lose Lee for the season... I LOVE Lee... he's one of my favorite players... but I think McClain is out performing him comparatively to seasons previous.

So I have to give pause to this whole "process" praise I keep hearing and how we "set out to rebuild the line" with three first round picks and this was the plan. BULL CRAP. And then there is the coaches. Garrett never wanted to fire Rob Ryan and never wanted to relinquish play calling duties and HAD to bring an OC...

idk, just some thoughts...

You could look at all good teams and go back and say "what if ?". What if the Patriots didn't draft Brady in the 6th. Should they be criticized for not drafting him earlier? What if Jimmy didn't draft Emmitt?

The issue is that the Cowboys had the mindset to put themselves into a position to take Martin, even if he wasn't their top choice. They could very easily have reached for a defensive player at that spot or traded down. They had a process in place to take the BPA and stayed with the process.

They also had OG Trai Turner as a top mid round target. He was a Redshirt sophomore that probably would have been a 1st round pick if he stayed in school another year. They were even going to trade up to get him even after they drafted Martin, but somebody drafted him just before the pick that they would have traded to get.

Yes, the Frederick pick is a little more convoluted, but again they somehow put themselves into position to end up with him. They could have tried to get cute and wait around hoping that he would be available in the 2nd round, but they were smart and took him in the late first.

If you go back to Jimmy building the Super Bowl teams, it was the overall process that he had in place that allowed them to succeed. He cut a couple of 3rd round pick, but I doubt if Jimmy ever gave them a second thought. He focused on the draft being about probabilities, not absolutes and understood that he needed as many picks as possible to end up with enough good players.

IMO, the Cowboys seem to learn something each year since Garrett has been the Head Coach; whereas, in prior years they didn't seem to learn from their mistakes. The 2012 ordeal with Floyd caused Will McClay to get promoted over Ciscowski. When they made mistakes in previous years, nothing seemed to change the following year. They didn't seem to have any process during the Wade Phillips years.

 

[cowboys2233]

They still drafted those players, when they could have drafted others who would have been/could have been busts.

So again...part luck, part them knowing what they are doing.

Yes, this is a key point. Everyone points to the fact that we have taken three offensive linemen in the first round as being the reason for our success. Not quite -- it's that we struck gold on all of those first rounders, not a guaranteed thing by any stretch. All three guys are pro bowlers or all pros waiting to happen.

 

[Plankton]

Not concerned so much with how a player was acquired, but the fact that they were acquired.

Largely, after the first pick of the draft, teams can plan to select whomever, and have that player selected earlier than anticipated.

With the linemen, and the trade down for Frederick, things have worked out very well for the Cowboys. Was there "luck" in the player selected being available? I suppose, but they still had to make the pick.

It explains why the Herschel Walker trade benefitted Dallas, and why the Eric Dickerson trade ruined the Rams - the picks provided the opportunity, the player selections still needed to be made.

 

[WV Cowboy]

Nothing on draft day is certain, unless you have the first pick, .. but Dallas has done quite well in the draft for a few years now, .. IMO.

I don't care who gets the credit, .. I am sure it is not one person anyway.

 

[cmoney23]

Nothing on draft day is certain, unless you have the first pick, .. but Dallas has done quite well in the draft for a few years now, .. IMO.

I don't care who gets the credit, .. I am sure it is not one person anyway.

I agree I don't care who gets credit, but I don't think they should be credited with this being the plan when it wasn't a plan it was backed into.

 

[pastordug]

Quantify luck. Not Merry Andrew.

"success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions."

 

[TwoDeep3]

"success or failure apparently brought by chance rather than through one's own actions."

How does chance convey this said luck?

I think my point is you can't catch it and paint it green, it ain't real.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

I'd say you're not the only one, but that it puts you in some questionable company.

The harder you work, the luckier you get.

I agree with that.

But I do think there are times when lady-luck simply pokes its head up and sometimes you take advantage and sometimes you don't.

Look at the Patriots. I think their coaches, talent evaluators and front office folks work just as hard now as what they did 12 years ago, but they've clearly lost that edge. They don't draft as well. They don't "scam" other teams as readily when it comes to trades. They don't have as much talent on their roster.

I guess you have to figure "smarts" into the equation also.

-hard work
-being on the right path
-getting lucky

 

[Beast_from_East]

The Cowboys don't have luck, they have lost games in the most unique ways possible the last few years

They have earned their 5-1 record

 

[Zman5]

Are you suggesting that the ball taking a "lucky" bounce happens because a butterfly flaps their wings in South America? Come on. You seem a bit more intelligent than that. I will agree on one common denominator: unexplainable.

Not the butterflies flapping their wings in South America but JG clapping during the game.


http://i124.***BLOCKED***/albums/p15/zman55/JGClap.gif

 

[waving monkey]

That thinks that this team is more built on Luck that a "Process"?

I read an article on here that went on waxing poetically that this was the work of Garret's Process and how we are now seeing it because of the Oline overhall... and I have to kind of laugh.

Just a few days ago I was listening to the radio and they had someone on talking about how the cowboys where SOLD on drafting Ryan Shazier out of OSU.
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***...e-with-dallas-when-steelers-drafted-him.html/
And Martin was there "back up plan" And I have to think that last year and getting Fredrick was a similar situation. When they moved back and by some reports where "confused and trying to move out" of the pick again. And were "forced" to draft Fredrick. There was even stories about how they where so confused they missed on a higher rated player on there board.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...an-do-to-avoid-2013-s-draft-day-confusion.ece
and then there McClain... the MVP of our Defense. He wouldn't even be on the team if we didn't lose Lee for the season... I LOVE Lee... he's one of my favorite players... but I think McClain is out performing him comparatively to seasons previous.

So I have to give pause to this whole "process" praise I keep hearing and how we "set out to rebuild the line" with three first round picks and this was the plan. BULL CRAP. And then there is the coaches. Garrett never wanted to fire Rob Ryan and never wanted to relinquish play calling duties and HAD to bring an OC...

idk, just some thoughts...

this is sad and continued proof of lack of knowledge of the drafting positions particularly in the area we been drafting.
Other teams draft too you know and we made damn good decisions with what was handed to us. Thats making lemonade out of lemons.
But also the lack of ability to admit when something was different then what you perceived or another way of saying it
can't admit when your wrong. These are weird fans .going through life resentful ,sad very sad

 

[jaybird]

That thinks that this team is more built on Luck that a "Process"?

I read an article on here that went on waxing poetically that this was the work of Garret's Process and how we are now seeing it because of the Oline overhall... and I have to kind of laugh.

Just a few days ago I was listening to the radio and they had someone on talking about how the cowboys where SOLD on drafting Ryan Shazier out of OSU.
http://cowboysblog.***BANNED-URL***...e-with-dallas-when-steelers-drafted-him.html/
And Martin was there "back up plan" And I have to think that last year and getting Fredrick was a similar situation. When they moved back and by some reports where "confused and trying to move out" of the pick again. And were "forced" to draft Fredrick. There was even stories about how they where so confused they missed on a higher rated player on there board.
http://www.***BANNED-URL***/sports/...an-do-to-avoid-2013-s-draft-day-confusion.ece
and then there McClain... the MVP of our Defense. He wouldn't even be on the team if we didn't lose Lee for the season... I LOVE Lee... he's one of my favorite players... but I think McClain is out performing him comparatively to seasons previous.

So I have to give pause to this whole "process" praise I keep hearing and how we "set out to rebuild the line" with three first round picks and this was the plan. BULL CRAP. And then there is the coaches. Garrett never wanted to fire Rob Ryan and never wanted to relinquish play calling duties and HAD to bring an OC...

idk, just some thoughts...

I thought the Colts were built around Luck?

 

[dogunwo]

Here's the thing folks. I'm a known hater. Hate Garrett, Romo, Jerry, and a slew of others. Not hate because of them personally, but because of the lack of winning. So now, I give Jerry credit, Romo credit, and most of all, Garrett credit. These guys knew what needed to be done, specifically Garrett. He, a former QB, knows that you need a great offensive line if you want to get things done on offense. He was around a great offensive line. How it came about how we got the players is not the point. Whether we pick this offensive line or that offensive line, we were still going to draft offensive linemen at the top of the draft.

I appreciate you resisting the notion that a realist can't enjoy the ride or give credit where credit is due.