An unsolved mystery wrapped in an improbably glorious season

[ryanbabs]

Nine-wins streaks are crazy talk. They just don't happen around here, even in the best of seasons lore.

This has been a fun and unexpected ride with a defense made of duct tape and super glue and a QB we're watching evolve from embryo to the larval stage, past pupa and into a full-grown NFL quarterback right before our eyes. It's like time-lapse photography.

But there's still this gnawing curiosity surrounding this team and this season, which wasn't supposed to be this, but suddenly is. Is this team really a 9-1 caliber team, or is the other shoe going to drop soon?

Wins in September and October are cute and all, but seasons are decided and remembered from Thanksgiving forward. That's where legendary seasons are forged. And while this team has important ingredients to that measure, there are some still major blemishes to cover.

Yes, a forceful running game with a great line is valuable as the elements turn wintery. Yes, a quarterback and offense that possesses the ball and doesn't turn it over is tremendously critical as well. A defense that doesn't give up big plays is vital, and a kicker like Bailey is gold in a bottle, too.

But this remains a flawed roster in key areas. The pass rush is anemic. The run defense is exposed. And an opponent with a talented receiving corps can run free and easy through this secondary, especially with Claiborne and Church out and Scandrick playing with no confidence.

The Dallas offense is incredibly efficient, but is it capable of outscoring high-caliber teams? That's the only ticket to the show.

You can only play the teams on your schedule, but this Cowboys schedule is looking weaker by the minute. Only two teams that Dallas has played have a winning record right now, and Dallas only beat one of them. Even that came with an asterisk as Kirk Cousins missed easy touchdown passes that would have given the Commanders a semi-blowout win in Washington. Cousins isn't doing that these days.

Sure, had some of these teams beaten Dallas, they'd have winning records, so the Cowboys are partly responsible for those records, but I only see three teams that Dallas has played that might make the playoffs. The Giants, Commanders, and either the Steelers or Ravens.

The combined record of the teams Dallas has beaten is 31-67-1. It gets tougher from here.

New York 7-3 Loss
Washington 6-3-1 Win
Chicago 2-8 Win
San Francisco 1-9 Win
Cincinnati 3-6 Win
Green Bay 4-6 Win
Philadelphia 5-5 Win
Cleveland 0-11 Win
Pittsburgh 5-5 Win
Baltimore 5-5 Win
Washington 6-3-1
Minnesota 6-4
New York 7-3
Tampa 5-5
Detroit 6-4
Philadelphia 5-5

We're going to know a lot about this team in the next three weeks. An expected shootout with Washington this Thursday, followed by back-to-back road games capped by a what could be a first-place shootout with the Giants in their stadium.

A defensive offseason should prime this team for many years to come, but the here and now is very much a mystery.

Wow. 9-1. That's crazy. But what will it mean come playoff time? I think we all share in that curiosity.

Just what have we here?

We've played some softies, no doubt. But we've also blown them all out for the most part.

 

[jazzcat22]

Yep, and the Cowboys have a loss, a gifted win, and an overtime win in those three. The second pass through the division will tell us a lot.

what was the gifted win?
I see no gifts given, we took their lunch money and won every game.

 

[KJJ]

Again I'm not saying there is no luck involved but it is not just luck if it where teams would not bother to even interview and work guys out whom they know will be late rd picks. No one in the NFL had Dak any lower than the 4th rd of the draft. The fact that he is showing himself to be more than that is credit to him and yes credit to the staff of working with him and helping him during this phase of his career. I don't think anyone including the Cowboys felt Dak would be able to handle what he has thus far. So is there luck? sure but it is not all luck there was still a lot of time and effort put into this by the organization. Yep we gave up to late rd picks because that is how desperate the Cowboys were, heck I have seen teams give up higher picks for a QB who did not pan out and had to pay a boat load of money as well.

Teams interview a lot of the players prior to the draft it's part of the drafting process. You never know who's going to land in your lap in a particular round but when you draft a QB in the 4th round that was possibly your 3rd or 4th QB on your board especially after offering a couple of nice picks to move back into the first round for another QB and that 4th round QB ends up doing what Dak has done that's big time LUCK. There's never been a rookie QB in the history of the league play as well as Dak has played the first 10 games of the 2016 season and he's been doing this since preseason. He had a perfect passer rating in preseason for the first couple of games and led ALL QBs in passer rating during preseason. He currently has the 3rd highest passer rating in the league.

His great play carried over to the regular season and no QB in franchise history has ever led the Cowboys to more consecutive wins during the regular season than Dak. No one thought Dak would be close to what he is which is why he was still on the board in the 4th round. He could end up being the greatest draft pick in the history of the franchise if he continues to progress the way he has. He has a chance to be the MVP of this league which is hard to even imagine for a rookie 4th round pick.

You're downplaying how incredibly LUCKY we were to hit on a QB of this caliber in the 4th round. For Romo to lose his job due to Daks amazing play points to how fortunate we were. Even Romo used the word "magical" when describing Dak and our season. If Dak can continue this run all the way to a championship, his story will end up being the most incredible story the NFL has witnessed since Kurt Warner burst on the scene in 99 with the Rams.

 

[Doomsday101]

Teams interview a lot of the players prior to the draft it's part of the drafting process. You never know who's going to land in your lap in a particular round but when you draft a QB in the 4th round that was possibly your 3rd or 4th QB on your board especially after offering a couple of nice picks to move back into the first round for another QB and that 4th round QB ends up doing what Dak has done that's big time LUCK. There's never been a rookie QB in the history of the league play as well as Dak has played the first 10 games of the 2016 season and he's been doing this since preseason. He had a perfect passer rating in preseason for the first couple of games and led ALL QBs in passer rating during preseason. He currently has the 3rd highest passer rating in the league.

His great play carried over to the regular season and no QB in franchise history has ever led the Cowboys to more consecutive wins during the regular season than Dak. No one thought Dak would be close to what he is which is why he was still on the board in the 4th round. He could end up being the greatest draft pick in the history of the franchise if he continues to progress the way he has. He has a chance to be the MVP of this league which is hard to even imagine for a rookie 4th round pick.


You're downplaying how incredibly LUCKY we were to hit on a QB of this caliber in the 4th round. For Romo to lose his job due to Daks amazing play points to how fortunate we were. Even Romo used the word "magical" when describing Dak and our season. If Dak can continue this run all the way to a championship, his story will end up being the most incredible story the NFL has witnessed since Kurt Warner burst on the scene in 99 with the Rams.

No I'm not down playing luck I think luck clearly is involved anytime you get outside the 1st rd because you have no control over who other teams pick but I think you are down playing the home work that Dallas did on Dak, there were many other players they could have choosen at that spot but they stayed with their board and selected him. It is not all luck there is still a ton of work that goes into this. As I said if all if this luck then it is luck for all 32 team and why bother interviewing and working out guys you know are not top 2 rd picks? You do it because you do have 7 rds, you put in the time to slot these players where you expect them to be and if they are still on the board at that pick then they become a clear option for your team. I know people hate to give any credit to Jerry, Jason or anyone in the organization but Dak did not select himself and 31 other teams did not select him. I have never said Dallas knew what he would do once he was drafted only that they knew a lot of information on him and when he was sitting there at the Cowboys pick the Cowboys took him.
Funny this team and Jones has been ripped because of taking players late in the draft who do not pan out and now that they not only hit on Dak but Brown this becomes nothing more than dumb luck?

 

[KJJ]

No I'm not down playing luck I think luck clearly is involved anytime you get outside the 1st rd because you have no control over who other teams pick but I think you are down playing the home work that Dallas did on Dak, there were many other players they could have choosen at that spot but they stayed with their board and selected him. It is not all luck there is still a ton of work that goes into this. As I said if all if this luck then it is luck for all 32 team and why bother interviewing and working out guys you know are not top 2 rd picks? You do it because you do have 7 rds, you put in the time to slot these players where you expect them to be and if they are still on the board at that pick then they become a clear option for your team. I know people hate to give any credit to Jerry, Jason or anyone in the organization but Dak did not select himself and 31 other teams did not select him. I have never said Dallas knew what he would do once he was drafted only that they knew a lot of information on him and when he was sitting there at the Cowboys pick the Cowboys took him.
Funny this team and Jones has been ripped because of taking players late in the draft who do not pan out and now that they not only hit on Dak but Brown this becomes nothing more than dumb luck?

I'm not downplaying anything, the teams homework on Dak had him as their 3rd or 4th QB. They took him where they had him graded. You're talking about in general when it comes to all teams and luck and I'm talking about the situation with Dak which was incredible LUCK to draft a player in the 4th round who's turned out as great as he has. We've covered this enough.

 

[Doomsday101]

I'm not downplaying anything, the teams homework on Dak had him as their 3rd or 4th QB. They took him where they had him graded. You're talking about in general when it comes to all teams and luck and I'm talking about the situation with Dak which was incredible LUCK to draft a player in the 4th round who's turned out as great as he has. We've covered this enough.

Let me say I don't believe much in luck to start with I think much of luck is a by product of hard work. As for what he has done to me it shows how hard this kid has worked and that of the coaching staff. Anyone depending on luck alone is not going to achieve much, I'm sure Dak feels the hours he spends in the film room, training room and practice field is no luck involved at all. This is why I don't think Brady in NE was pure luck.

 

[KJJ]

Let me say I don't believe much in luck to start with I think much of luck is a by product of hard work. As for what he has done to me it shows how hard this kid has worked and that of the coaching staff. Anyone depending on luck alone is not going to achieve much, I'm sure Dak feels the hours he spends in the film room, training room and practice field is no luck involved at all. This is why I don't think Brady in NE was pure luck.

When it comes to the draft especially with QBs there's a lot of LUCK involved. You're slotted a draft position and have to make the best of it. Not many great QBs have been drafted past the 3rd round and we may have hit on one of the rare few.

 

[Doomsday101]

When it comes to the draft especially with QBs there's a lot of LUCK involved. You're slotted a draft position and have to make the best of it. Not many great QBs have been drafted past the 3rd round and we may have hit on one of the rare few.

We hit on Romo as well who was undrafted but I did not hear much in terms of luck with him. No that was all greatness of Sean Payton, at least that seemed to be the consensus around here.

I agree about the difficulties of finding a QB hell even a lot of high profile 1st rd picks have gone bust, there are no sure things.

 

[KJJ]

We hit on Romo as well who was undrafted but I did not hear much in terms of luck with him. No that was all greatness of Sean Payton, at least that seemed to be the consensus around here.

I agree about the difficulties of finding a QB hell even a lot of high profile 1st rd picks have gone bust, there are no sure things.

Jerry called Romo a miracle but he was an undrafted free agent who was free to sign with anyone. When you're slotted a draft position, you're stuck unless you can trade out of it. Dak was passed on by every team 3 times including us. It's an incredible stroke of luck to land a QB in the 4th round that's having an MVP caliber season and has led a team to the best record in the entire league, especially a team that was 4-12 last season. What Dak is doing has never been done by a rookie QB. He's currently having a better season than Romo's career best season in 2014.

 

[plymkr]

We won in GB. We won in Pit. We beat Philly and Wash. We beat Cin and Balt.

Make no excuses for the schedule. You play whoever is next and go on.

Ask Kansas City about that after losing to TB yesterday.

Good point. Part of being an elite team is beating the teams your supposed to beat. I'm fatiguing of this weak schedule narrative as the reason why Dallas is 9-1. I feel in the NFL you have to have talent and focus to win games. Talent is obvious because the more talent you have the better your team is. But when it comes to a talented team playing a less talented team, focus can be the game changer. If your not focused on each play in every game then you'll lose. I feel one of the biggest games that [proved to me that we may have something special is the Cleveland game. But we stayed focused and executed. Another poster, can't remember who, made an excellent point that Seattle may be the more complete team with it's defense but they lost to some less talented teams. Again in the NFL if you have a lapse in focus the talent level is so close that anyone can beat you. This is how I approach all of my games on Madden with my PS4 and that's why my gamer score is the way it is.

But seriously though our team seems to be talented but also just as important seems to be focused. a talented but unfocused team can not go 9-1 so being so consistent and focused as well as talented makes us very scary for the NFL. That's why everyone is trying to down play our record cuz they're scared that Dallas is back and will be a contender for a couple of years.

 

[Doomsday101]

Jerry called Romo a miracle but he was an undrafted free agent who was free to sign with anyone. When you're slotted a draft position, you're stuck unless you can trade out of it. Dak was passed on by every team 3 times including us. It's an incredible stroke of luck to land a QB in the 4th round that's having an MVP caliber season and has led a team to the best record in the entire league, especially a team that was 4-12 last season. What Dak is doing has never been done by a rookie QB. He's currently having a better season than Romo's career best season in 2014.

Call it all luck if you choose.

 

[KJJ]

Call it all luck if you choose.

Really can't understand how you don't see the luck in hitting on a QB especially one in the 4th round. Drafting any QB is a crapshoot just look at how many #1 overall picks at the position have gone bust.

 

[Doomsday101]

Really can't understand how you don't see the luck in hitting on a QB especially one in the 4th round. Drafting any QB is a crapshoot just look at how many #1 overall picks at the position have gone bust.

Because as you just said it is a crap shoot. I'm not saying Dallas knew he would be this good I don't think anyone did but calling it luck in my view spits in the face of Dak and the work he has put in to prove people wrong about him. He is not good because he is lucky he is good because he works hard at what he does, because you or I did not believe in him does not change the fact he believed in himself to produce and he has so in Dak mind you think he sees this a pure luck?

 

[KJJ]

Because as you just said it is a crap shoot. I'm not saying Dallas knew he would be this good I don't think anyone did but calling it luck in my view spits in the face of Dak and the work he has put in to prove people wrong about him. He is not good because he is lucky he is good because he works hard at what he does, because you or I did not believe in him does not change the fact he believed in himself to produce and he has so in Dak mind you think he sees this a pure luck?

A crapshoot is luck and we hit the jackpot in the 4th round. Calling it luck doesn't spit in the face of Dak, no one thought he would be this type of QB at the NFL level. Listen to the interview with Jimmy, click the link. He said he saw Dak as more of a runner because he did that a lot in college and he didn't think he would be near as accurate a passer as he has been. Dak played in a different type offense in college and it's hard to judge how a college QBs game will translate to the NFL which is why there's been so many mistakes made drafting the QB position. There's a lot of luck involved hitting on a franchise QB, just look at the terrible luck Cleveland has had the past 20 years.

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/jimm...oys-dak-prescott-and-more-on-the-herd.363707/

 

[Doomsday101]

A crapshoot is luck and we hit the jackpot in the 4th round. Calling it luck doesn't spit in the face of Dak, no one thought he would be this type of QB at the NFL level. Listen to the interview with Jimmy, click the link. He said he saw Dak as more of a runner because he did that a lot in college and he didn't think he would be near as accurate a passer as he has been. Dak played in a different type offense in college and it's hard to judge how a college QBs game will translate to the NFL which is why there's been so many mistakes made drafting the QB position. There's a lot of luck involved hitting on a franchise QB, just look at the terrible luck Cleveland has had the past 20 years.

http://cowboyszone.com/threads/jimm...oys-dak-prescott-and-more-on-the-herd.363707/

Yes and he goes on to talk about the intangible and how Troy was not even 1st team all PAC 10 that went to Rodney Pete. I understand watching tape of Dak you saw a QB who ran a lot and that dropped him in the draft I get all that but I also get the fact that based on the talks Dallas had with him they did like him and they selected him where they felt he would be within the draft. Luck sure and again a lot to time and work put into all of it. Luck in my view would be just throwing darts at names you knew nothing about and they came in and did the job. Dallas could have selected a number of different guys at that pick

 

[DandyDon52]

This week schedule talk is seriously flawed. Who have the Patriots played? Who have the Seahawks played? You play who is on your schedule and we are deserving of that record. Also we play in the NFC east possibly the toughest division in the NFL.

exactly !
I will add erod left out phil, who a few weeks ago everyone thought they were a good team. and I think they are a fairly good team.
you dont know the full story on records till end of season.
After 2 weeks, dallas was 1-1 a .500 team, see how deceptive that is?
Someone should list who seattle and NE , and Oakland have played, along with dallas, and then we could see more,
but still it doesnt matter I know this team is good. just by the way they play.

also in 57 years no Dallas team won 9 in a row, so how could this be the only year we played weak teams??

Our Div is tough, and we are 2-1 in the div. I am hoping to finish 5-1 !
This wash game is important because it is a div game and we need to be 3-1 not 2-2 .
A sweep of Commanders gives us the tiebreaker over them, and then main team we have to contend with is giant,
and we have to win the next giant game.

 

[DandyDon52]

here is another thing i thought of last nite.

We swept the Afc north beat all 4, and if Romo didnt get hurt, and season about to start, how many would say dallas and romo
would sweep the Afc north, pitt , cinn, cleve, and ravens who we have never beat??

I dont think I would have thought that, maybe 2-2 or 3-1 at best is what I would have said, be honest how many of you
would have said 4-0 ?????????
My guess is none of you. well maybe one guy who says we will also be 16-0 lol.
'
Then there is the other div we play, nfc north, we beat chicago, and GB in GB , so are 2-0 Minn and Det are upcoming.
I doubt many would have predicted 4-0 with this, and that GB win.
These are more important as they are conference wins, the afc games dont help in tiebreakers.

Right now i SEE detroit as a problem team, they have played good and hard this year, and minn does have the good defense.
So this team doesnt have a easy schedule, I think the 4-12 only gave us tampa bay and SF, so those 2 teams were for having the 4-12
last year, and they are lowly teams, but they arent that easy to beat, TB just beat somebody good forget who.
SF is good but pretty much everyone is beating them. I do think they played good against us, they were trying.,

 

[KJJ]

Yes and he goes on to talk about the intangible and how Troy was not even 1st team all PAC 10 that went to Rodney Pete.

You can't measure intangibles which is another reason drafting QBs is such a roll of the dice.

 

[Doomsday101]

You can't measure intangibles which is another reason drafting QBs is such a roll of the dice.

No but you can get a good sense of a player based on the interviews they go through and the individual work teams do with players. Granted that does not ensure anything there are no guarantees all any team can do is go through the process of scouting players, working with player and hope they pan out. Dallas did not reach for Dak they took him where they felt he would be. As for how he has developed that is a testament to Dak and the coaches. Could it be predicted? NO does that make it luck? No I don't think so. Every time a mid to late player develops into a quality player is that pure luck?

If you are saying drafting any QB is just luck that is fine call it what you will but I think there is more than luck involved. If all this is, is luck then why bother hiring a scouting department and working guys out? None of that evidently means anything

 

[Doomsday101]

I guess this upcoming game will be the battle of the lucky picks since Cousins himself is nothing more than a 4th rd pick.