Breer: Will the Cowboys’ offensive line still be overwhelming?

[Stash]

With Collins apparently excelling, I think it's a strong possibility.

We just need at least average play from the LG spot.

Exactly. And I think that even if Cooper fails (and I don't believe that he will), the team has several other options for that spot, including Bell, Green, Looney, Cleary, and even Theaker.

I'm very confident that they can fill that role from among those 6 guys.

 

[LittleD]

Exactly. And I think that even if Cooper fails (and I don't believe that he will), the team has several other options for that spot, including Bell, Green, Looney, Cleary, and even Theaker.

I'm very confident that they can fill that role from among those 6 guys.

If none of these guys work out being a beast then, I'm sure McClay has his cell phone on speed dial.

 

[kiheikiwi]

Exactly. And I think that even if Cooper fails (and I don't believe that he will), the team has several other options for that spot, including Bell, Green, Looney, Cleary, and even Theaker.

I'm very confident that they can fill that role from among those 6 guys.

I seem to be replying to your post's quite a bit this morning Stash !
It's pretty unusual for me to be so positive this early into the season/off-season. But I find myself really impressed with where we stand right now, and the moves/choices the front office has been making over the last couple years (Will McClay come on down!). Saw on NFL.com that the Jets are in full re-building mode - and they only have 4 players over 30 on the squad. Aren't we also with only about 4 over 30 ? And we are competing for conference championships and hopefully super bowls soon. Yay us !
O-Line:
Between, Collins, Green and Cooper I think we will sort out the two open positions, and also have depth with Bell, Skipper, Looney,Cleary etc. I really hope Green can finally get past his injuries and become the full time swing tackle. Smith and Collins start with Green at the swing - we good !
Cooper and Bell can battle for LG/Backup RG. Injuries during training camp will also play a part, but those would be my front runners. Can Skipper play well enough to go on the PS for a year ? Don't know if Bell will be here long term.
May start a thread later about my optimism for this squad a little later - but I don't know that I have felt this good about where we stand today at the end of Mini-camp. Seeing good decisions, arrows pointing up. Underrated free agents bought in, a very young but strong team, with only a few holes left.

Happy Cowboys fan at this early stage.

 

[Stash]

I seem to be replying to your post's quite a bit this morning Stash !
It's pretty unusual for me to be so positive this early into the season/off-season. But I find myself really impressed with where we stand right now, and the moves/choices the front office has been making over the last couple years (Will McClay come on down!). Saw on NFL.com that the Jets are in full re-building mode - and they only have 4 players over 30 on the squad. Aren't we also with only about 4 over 30 ? And we are competing for conference championships and hopefully super bowls soon. Yay us !
O-Line:
Between, Collins, Green and Cooper I think we will sort out the two open positions, and also have depth with Bell, Skipper, Looney,Cleary etc. I really hope Green can finally get past his injuries and become the full time swing tackle. Smith and Collins start with Green at the swing - we good !
Cooper and Bell can battle for LG/Backup RG. Injuries during training camp will also play a part, but those would be my front runners. Can Skipper play well enough to go on the PS for a year ? Don't know if Bell will be here long term.
May start a thread later about my optimism for this squad a little later - but I don't know that I have felt this good about where we stand today at the end of Mini-camp. Seeing good decisions, arrows pointing up. Underrated free agents bought in, a very young but strong team, with only a few holes left.

Happy Cowboys fan at this early stage.

Same here. Outside of backup quarterback, I have very few worries. So few, in fact, that I started a thread a few weeks ago asking others to "talk me down" from being so high on this team.

Admittedly, I'm less optimistic and more worried in general than a lot of other fans, but I have to say that I feel really good about this team and the decisions made.

 

[ghst187]

http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2017/06/15/adrian-peterson-new-orleans-saints-nfl-minicamp-notebook

2. Will the Cowboys’ offensive line still be overwhelming? Over the course of this decade, as the team has dropped first-round pick on top of first-round pick, and big contract extension after big contract extension on offensive linemen,

This continually irritates me. As if we are the only team in history to use a first round pick on OL. Most of the league probably has spent at least one or two firsts on OL in modern history. The difference is that our turned into all stars. They get contract extensions because they are awesome. So please spare me the "we have a great OL because we spent all our picks and money on OL" nonsense.

 

[kiheikiwi]

Looking to next years draft for a starting Strong Safety. Maybe a high pick on a 1-tech. See how all our LBers do this year, and depth all over. With the extra picks we get next year - we should be in really great shape.
Injuries - knock on wood, are the only Debbie downer I can for-see at this time.

 

[Redball Express]

Honestly, that's all we can do is be patient. Nothing anyone does now will decide it right now, good or bad.



Collins, to some extent, but Leary more than capably filled in. Free? He was just shot. Glad he knew it.



I think depth is even better. Green showed that he can play, if he's healthy. As did Emmitt Cleary when he was called upon. And Byron Bell has experience and versatility. I don't like him at tackle, especially left, but I do like him at guard.

I see a minimum of 9 offensive linemen I'd like to keep, and that's not having seen or read anything about Theaker or Skipper.

My guess is we don't see alot of DAK in the preseason..

especially with a 5th game in preseason.

When he is in..the starting OL will too.

But I expect alot of backup QB play with substituting in the OL.

We will see pretty quickly.

 

[diefree666]

While I don't think Free was very good, I also don't think dumpster fire is an appropriate characterization.

Rob Pettite and Alex Barron were dumpster fires and examples of bottom tier OL play. Free went from consistent if lacking power to lacking power and consistency. That is not good by any stretch but it's the difference between not knowing what you are going to get from play-to-play versus knowing that you are going to get a ****show every down.

by late in the season he was a dumpster fire. He ended up with the third most pressures and sacks of ANY TACKLE in the NFL.

 

[TheHerd]

by late in the season he was a dumpster fire. He ended up with the third most pressures and sacks of ANY TACKLE in the NFL.

I liked Free and what meant to the team all these years. But if one watches the games from last year, from a pass blocking perspective he was way, way, way below serviceable. If there were two tackles with moregard pressures allowed I'd be very afraid to watch them play.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

by late in the season he was a dumpster fire. He ended up with the third most pressures and sacks of ANY TACKLE in the NFL.

Where you getting this from?

 

[slomoxn]

I'd rather look at the real potential for improvement over the proven poor play the team got from Free last year. Sometimes, unknown is better than known bad.

Then there is the one more year older concept which means Free may have been one mornyesr slower, weaker, and unable to block pass rushers. Dak can't bail him out 3 times a game every game like last year.

 

[Stash]

Then there is the one more year older concept which means Free may have been one mornyesr slower, weaker, and unable to block pass rushers. Dak can't bail him out 3 times a game every game like last year.

I think that was definitely true. I think a finesse player who got by on technique and athleticism started to lose that athleticism and what little strength he ever had (in terms of NFL linemen anyway).

 

[conner01]

The oline is going to be fine. There could be some drop off at RT and LG but there also could be better play at RT
Time will tell but I think the defense will be better and that should more than make up for any drop off at LG

 

[plasticman]

Every game thread last season it was "Free sucks!.", "Trade Free!", "Cut Free!", "Bench Free and put in anybody else!".........Now that he's retired, "OMG, no more Free!!! Whatever will we do???"

Collins struggled a little compared to the lofty expectations, I mean, what's wrong with him, he hasn't becomes an All Pro yet! The guy is good, he is going to improve and he has a chip on his shoulder. Besides, he's in there with three All Pros, an athletic young rising star in a quarterback and an absolute battering ram of an RB.

As far as left guard, whoever they decide on as the starter, he is going into battle flanked on each side by the best tackle and the best center in the game today. How bad could you possibly look?

Leary was capable but the undrafted free agent came in the league a year after Tyron, yet he is three years older. He is 29, would he ever be in the Cowboys plan in the long term over the next five seasons of battling for multiple championships? The time to find a younger guy with similar skills is now and it won't be difficult.

 

[diefree666]

Where you getting this from?

not sure how you missed it but since you thought Free was playing OK maybe its not a surprise.

Gil Brandt tweeted it - I think it was late December. Had Free as the #3 tackle with pressures and sacks.

I believe it was a followup to his November tweet where Free at that time was #7. Probably followed it up because Free got worse.

 

[BAT]

well to be fair look at how many here refuse to admit that as well.

Refuse ... dumpster .... I see what you did there!

 

[diefree666]

Refuse ... dumpster .... I see what you did there!

I guess that was too subtle for many

 

[CowboyRoy]

Sorry dude but Leary was not as great as you try and portray him. And you are another one that refuses to see how bad Free was last year.

Leary was a very good guard. Not sure what you are implying I think he was. Good enough to keep Collins on the bench after he was healthy. And Free last year is better than Green or any other scrub backup we have on the team this year. If you want to debate any of that, Im not interested.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Not that i disagree, more that I wasn't sure what you were referring to.

But I actually like this year's linemen overall better than I did last year's.

Depends on who the 5th guy is and how he plays. Certainly the depth isnt as good this year.

 

[Stash]

Depends on who the 5th guy is and how he plays. Certainly the depth isnt as good this year.

I think I like the depth better this year than last. But that's me.

I think Collins at right tackle over Doug Free is a major improvement.

And I believe that Cooper has the pedigree and potential to be a very good left guard, especially playing between Smith and Frederick.

And we now know that Chaz Green (when healthy) and Emmett Cleary can play , something we didn't know last year.

I see nine linemen I'd like to keep on this roster. At minimum. And two that I might try to put on the practice squad. I like this year's group a lot.