Bewildered over Cowboy nation these days

[erod]

It's truly stunning.

A year ago, people around here were disgusted about signing Darren McFadden. Too old, too injury-prone, too slow, no production, 4th string on the Raiders, just a guy to give Joseph Randle a break. Nothing but a flyer and damage control.

Dallas was being disloyal to the greatness of Demarco Murray, and stupid to let him get away to an arch rival for $8 million a year. Dallas should have given this 27-year-old running back what he had earned the prior year, even though he'd never really done anything like that before (and probably wouldn't again).

The angst was rightly palpable, especially after a draft that yielded no answers.

Fast forward a year...

Many of these same people now claim McFadden is all the Cowboys needed behind this offensive line. Suddenly, he's a spring chicken with 300 carries easy in his body, and he would have delivered this time in the clutch, not just in meaningless games and garbage time. Alfred Morris would have added to the greatness, despite the fact Washington said "no thanks" just like Oakland did to McFadden. Other teams trash is suddenly our stolen treasure.

Drafting a 20-year-old phenom likened to Ladanian Tomlinson was a wasted pick. That's the gobbledygook being slopped around local radio and these boards.

The amazingly ridiculous suggestion is that Elliott won't be measurably more successful behind this offensive line than the two journeymen cast-offs. Never mind that Elliott is much faster, more powerful, vastly laterally quicker, better built, a better blocker, and a significantly better receiver than both of both of the vets combined. All that with a new set of Michelins, and a lesser price tag than Murray.

With a healthy Romo, this will now be the best offense in football. But never mind that. Wasted pick.

The stat dorks will point to McFadden's meaningless yards. They'll ignore the situational aspects of what it means to defend plays against a superstar back versus a scrap-heap guy. They'll ignore Elliott's propensity to score touchdowns, which McFadden has seldom done. They'll ignore the great likelihood that McFadden would have gotten hurt again, for the umpteenth time, any day now.

Fans around the division wanted to throw bricks through their TVs. The whole league is shaking their heads in disgust about what Elliott adds to this offense. Cowboy haters are none to happy because it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to do the math.

Apparently, we're running low on rocket surgeons these days. I expect it from local media, who are clawing and scratching for relevance and audience these days. But from the common Cowboys fans, especially those who watched what Dorsett and Emmitt did here, it's befuddling to put it kindly.

Six months from now, you'll nary here a whisper about it again. Elliott will be the brightest rookie star, and nobody except Jacksonville fans will be uttering the name of Jalen Ramsey. The NFC East will see the Cowboys in first place, and be dreading the next many years of facing Elliott and this monster line.

In the meantime, I think I need to invest in ear muffs. (Cue the Old School memes.)

 

[Craig]

The people that were disgusted with dmc and thought dallas should have kept murray are the same people that are thrilled about ee. The people that were fine with randle and dmc...are ok with morris are the ones that think ee was an unneccesary add with a first round pick. It seems pretty clear to me.

Your post could have just said "people shouldnt disagree with me".

 

[CATCH17]

I'm thrilled about EE but McFadden would produce at a high level with Romo as well. He produced at a high level last year with no passing game that keeps drives going and a Offensive system that handicaps us.

 

[erod]

The people that were disgusted with dmc and thought dallas should have kept murray are the same people that are thrilled about ee. The people that were fine with randle and dmc...are ok with morris are the ones that think ee was an unneccesary add with a first round pick. It seems pretty clear to me.

Your post could have just said "people shouldnt disagree with me".

Not hardly. Most laughed at McFadden's signing and thought the draft would make it right. No pick came, and they were disgusted.

Now the pick comes, and McFadden is suddenly the answer and Elliott is a "luxury".

Hypocrisy abounds among the masses.

 

[jazzcat22]

Great post erod, great post.

 

[erod]

I'm thrilled about EE but McFadden would produce at a high level with Romo as well. He produced at a high level last year with no passing game that keeps drives going and a Offensive system that handicaps us.

McFadden ran through holes created by a tremendous offensive line. But he couldn't finish spit, just like Murray. He scored three measly touchdowns.

Elliott finishes those runs. He eliminates work for the others by maximizing the opportunities they create, instead of just getting 75 percent of what's there to be had.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

It's truly stunning.

A year ago, people around here were disgusted about signing Darren McFadden. Too old, too injury-prone, too slow, no production, 4th string on the Raiders, just a guy to give Joseph Randle a break. Nothing but a flyer and damage control.

Dallas was being disloyal to the greatness of Demarco Murray, and stupid to let him get away to an arch rival for $8 million a year. Dallas should have given this 27-year-old running back what he had earned the prior year, even though he'd never really done anything like that before (and probably wouldn't again).

The angst was rightly palpable, especially after a draft that yielded no answers.

Fast forward a year...

Many of these same people now claim McFadden is all the Cowboys needed behind this offensive line. Suddenly, he's a spring chicken with 300 carries easy in his body, and he would have delivered this time in the clutch, not just in meaningless games and garbage time. Alfred Morris would have added to the greatness, despite the fact Washington said "no thanks" just like Oakland did to McFadden. Other teams trash is suddenly our stolen treasure.

Drafting a 20-year-old phenom likened to Ladanian Tomlinson was a wasted pick. That's the gobbledygook being slopped around local radio and these boards.

The amazingly ridiculous suggestion is that Elliott won't be measurably more successful behind this offensive line than the two journeymen cast-offs. Never mind that Elliott is much faster, more powerful, vastly laterally quicker, better built, a better blocker, and a significantly better receiver than both of both of the vets combined. All that with a new set of Michelins, and a lesser price tag than Murray.

With a healthy Romo, this will now be the best offense in football. But never mind that. Wasted pick.

The stat dorks will point to McFadden's meaningless yards. They'll ignore the situational aspects of what it means to defend plays against a superstar back versus a scrap-heap guy. They'll ignore Elliott's propensity to score touchdowns, which McFadden has seldom done. They'll ignore the great likelihood that McFadden would have gotten hurt again, for the umpteenth time, any day now.

Fans around the division wanted to throw bricks through their TVs. The whole league is shaking their heads in disgust about what Elliott adds to this offense. Cowboy haters are none to happy because it doesn't take a rocket surgeon to do the math.

Apparently, we're running low on rocket surgeons these days. I expect it from local media, who are clawing and scratching for relevance and audience these days. But from the common Cowboys fans, especially those who watched what Dorsett and Emmitt did here, it's befuddling to put it kindly.

Six months from now, you'll nary here a whisper about it again. Elliott will be the brightest rookie star, and nobody except Jacksonville fans will be uttering the name of Jalen Ramsey. The NFC East will see the Cowboys in first place, and be dreading the next many years of facing Elliott and this monster line.

In the meantime, I think I need to invest in ear muffs. (Cue the Old School memes.)

You don't get it because you don't want to get it. This discussion is really about financials. This has never, ever, been about the players abilities. Everybody knows that Elliot has talent. The question is, is it talent that is worth the money you will need to spend for it and would you be better served if you took a player like Booker in the 4th round and used that 4th over all for a player at another position?

That's the issue. All the rest you posted is really trying to paint a very specific picture that suites an angle.

 

[Virginia-Dave]

Once he started thrashing opposing defenses, people will come around. I think the fact that he was selected with the #4 overall pick is why people aren't loving him right away. If we got Zeke with say, the 11th pick, there would be a lot less crankiness about it. Top 5 picks are so rare(unless you're the browns), and so valuable, whatever player you take there HAS to be a difference maker for 5+ years. I think we'll be good.

 

[erod]

You don't get it because you don't want to get it. This discussion is really about financials. This has never, ever, been about the players abilities. Everybody knows that Elliot has talent. The question is, is it talent that is worth the money you will need to spend for it and would you be better served if you took a player like Booker in the 4th round and used that 4th over all for a player at another position?

That's the issue. All the rest you posted is really trying to paint a very specific picture that suites an angle.

Because you knew Booker would be there in the 4th round? And you want to trust Romo's collar bone and back to a rookie from nowhere than can't pass protect?

They had Elliott as the best player in the draft. He was the most complete back by a country mile. He was there. You take him every single time, and with this line, all 32 teams would do the same.

 

[jazzcat22]

I was in McFadden's camp since they signed him, and still am. But we needed Zeke. DMC, though would be productive as last year, but he is in the last year of his contract. I thought he was and is a very good RB until we got who we needed. however, is is like what 28 or 29 also. and as many pointed out, injury plagued career. Though he has had 2 healthy years now. Morris, great pick up, but he is not the long term answer either. Well, he may have been, but were fans truly 100% comfortable with this.

Don't bring up last years RB's drafted in the later rounds...any of them light the league on fire? So this years late round RB's may not, and probably won't either. Solid, very good production, a few may emerge. Give me the sure fire RB, that was Elliot, and Henry, and Henry has some question marks, but I think he will be very good.

We can have a 3 headed monster running attack. Add the speed of Jackson, who may take snaps in Dunbar's role, along with DMC, and there is another possible weapon.
Convert rod Smith to a FB, or try to, since we need a FB. He can also run as well as go out for passes.

We can have an extremely good backfield.

 

[Idgit]

Not hardly. Most laughed at McFadden's signing and thought the draft would make it right. No pick came, and they were disgusted.

Now the pick comes, and McFadden is suddenly the answer and Elliott is a "luxury".

Hypocrisy abounds among the masses.

That's not how I remember it at all.

I didn't want to extend Murray, and I didn't like McFadden, either, but that's because I thought he was a poor fit. The strategy of letting Murray walk was the right one.

We overspent to get Elliott when we had bigger needs, and that's why I don't like that pick, either. It's been very consistent: we need to add talent on defense. RB just doesn't matter as much.

That said, as RBs go, Elliott's a hell of a player. I'm looking forward to watching him on Sundays.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Not hardly. Most laughed at McFadden's signing and thought the draft would make it right. No pick came, and they were disgusted.

Now the pick comes, and McFadden is suddenly the answer and Elliott is a "luxury".

Hypocrisy abounds among the masses.

Actually the hypocrisy is just the opposite. The Cowboy homers were spouting up and down about how McFadden did so great and we were just fine with him as our back. And these same cats are championing the drafting of Zeke like we had some major need there. That it was the obvious pick.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Because you knew Booker would be there in the 4th round? And you want to trust Romo's collar bone and back to a rookie from nowhere than can't pass protect?

They had Elliott as the best player in the draft. He was the most complete back by a country mile. He was there. You take him every single time, and with this line, all 32 teams would do the same.

No, because he was there in the 4th round but who cares. Lets say 2nd round if that makes you feel better. For the record, Booker can pass protect. This is what I'm getting at. If you really wanted to protect the team, you would have traded down and picked up a QB and still gotten a good RB. However, if this all about the player, then it's an angle. He is not the most complete back by a country mile. There are very good RBs in this draft but what you say kinda illustrates what I am saying. For you, this is about the player and not about the long game of the Franchise. All Thirty two teams would not do this but if you wish to believe that, that's OK with me.

 

[erod]

Predictions of the top 5:

Jared Goff = Matt Schaub
Carson Wentz = Jay Cutler
Joey Bosa = Greg Ellis
Ezekiel Elliott = Ladanian Tomlinson
Jalen Ramsey = Tyrann Matthieu

 

[erod]

No, because he was there in the 4th round but who cares. Lets say 2nd round if that makes you feel better. For the record, Booker can pass protect. This is what I'm getting at. If you really wanted to protect the team, you would have traded down and picked up a QB and still gotten a good RB. However, if this all about the player, then it's an angle. He is not the most complete back by a country mile. There are very good RBs in this draft but what you say kinda illustrates what I am saying. For you, this is about the player and not about the long game of the Franchise. All Thirty two teams would not do this but if you wish to believe that, that's OK with me.

All of these quarterbacks this year are going to bust, IMO.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I was in McFadden's camp since they signed him, and still am. But we needed Zeke. DMC, though would be productive as last year, but he is in the last year of his contract. I thought he was and is a very good RB until we got who we needed. however, is is like what 28 or 29 also. and as many pointed out, injury plagued career. Though he has had 2 healthy years now. Morris, great pick up, but he is not the long term answer either. Well, he may have been, but were fans truly 100% comfortable with this.

Don't bring up last years RB's drafted in the later rounds...any of them light the league on fire? So this years late round RB's may not, and probably won't either. Solid, very good production, a few may emerge. Give me the sure fire RB, that was Elliot, and Henry, and Henry has some question marks, but I think he will be very good.

We can have a 3 headed monster running attack. Add the speed of Jackson, who may take snaps in Dunbar's role, along with DMC, and there is another possible weapon.
Convert rod Smith to a FB, or try to, since we need a FB. He can also run as well as go out for passes.

We can have an extremely good backfield.

All of these quarterbacks this year are going to bust, IMO.

That may be so but, you put those same QBs in a situation like you have in Dallas, two seasons to sit and learn, one of the best Offensive Lines in football and a powerful run game to go with Dez and Witten, their chances go up tremendously. We already had a pretty good backfield before this draft. You add a player like Booker or one of the other backs and we still have a really good backfield but much less expensive and you have the benefit of taking a blue chip player at another position group. Nobody is arguing the talent but by the same token, you can not argue the value of taking a Booker later and a talent like Ramsey at 4 or a trade down that gets you a pass rusher and a QB.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Predictions of the top 5:

Jared Goff = Matt Schaub
Carson Wentz = Jay Cutler
Joey Bosa = Greg Ellis
Ezekiel Elliott = Ladanian Tomlinson
Jalen Ramsey = Tyrann Matthieu

Homer much?

 

[JPostSam]

You don't get it because you don't want to get it. This discussion is really about financials. This has never, ever, been about the players abilities. Everybody knows that Elliot has talent. The question is, is it talent that is worth the money you will need to spend for it and would you be better served if you took a player like Booker in the 4th round and used that 4th over all for a player at another position?

That's the issue. All the rest you posted is really trying to paint a very specific picture that suites an angle.

i think we should draft all our players in the 4th round.

think of the savings!

 

[cowboyblue22]

Elliot is more tony dorsett than emmitt but he is a very good player that will do a lot of good things for the dallas cowboys. Zeke can score from any where on the field at any time.

 

[Miller]

That's not how I remember it at all.

I didn't want to extend Murray, and I didn't like McFadden, either, but that's because I thought he was a poor fit. The strategy of letting Murray walk was the right one.

We overspent to get Elliott when we had bigger needs, and that's why I don't like that pick, either. It's been very consistent: we need to add talent on defense. RB just doesn't matter as much.

That said, as RBs go, Elliott's a hell of a player. I'm looking forward to watching him on Sundays.

Right. Elliott is excellent but its how you spend your picks as a whole. You could have Ramsey and still get a young RB in the 2nd and 3rd that adds fresh legs to the older guys. I liked that the Texans got a speed guy in Tyler Ervin from SJSU in the 4th and they have Lamar Miller. To me it isn't disliking Elliott...think he is a stud...its a dislike of how we allocated resources to improve the team.