But What If Scenarios

[JoeKing]

I don't think I'm giving the defending super bowl champs too much credit. I hate the Eagles as much as anyone, but they are the best team in the division until someone proves otherwise.

You are still doing it. You really don't get it. There wasn't even a SB played last season so how could the iggles have won it?

 

[Diehardblues]

I don't think I'm giving the defending super bowl champs too much credit. I hate the Eagles as much as anyone, but they are the best team in the division until someone proves otherwise.

Reality isn’t everyone’s strong suit . And the Eagles if Wentz is healthy could still be the best team in the conference and NFL.

The Eagles already had a great defense and added perhaps the best QB drafted in the last several years. They could be formidable for the next 10 years. That’s what an elite QB can do for you.

 

[Diehardblues]

yes, but if it would have worked, Garrett would have been considered a genius!
Yet the ole hand clapper never catches a break...lol

I was very hopeful Garrett was going to get an opportunity to draft Romo’s heir apparent. I think it could have set him in a much more favorable situation because he’s assembled a pretty strong offense less a great QB. Oh well ...

 

[JustChip]

Our storied history is just that . History!!

As it is for every dynastic team - the 60's Packers, 70's Steelers and Cowboys, the 80's 49ers and the 90's Cowboys. There have been brief moments returning to their former glory after the inevitable fall of each dynasty, but nothing like their dynastic period. This era's dynasty, New England, will eventually fade (probably not that far from happening) and their fans will in the future be pining for the "good ole days" and their storied history. Such is the circle of life in the NFL.

Our storied past is gone and is not returning. That's not negative, it's simply reality. But that doesn't mean this team can't or won't compete in the here and now for a Super Bowl, which I believe they will. Whether they do will depend on a lot of factors, including some just dumb luck (if avoidance of injuries can be attributed to luck, e.g.).

 

[Diehardblues]

As it is for every dynastic team - the 60's Packers, 70's Steelers and Cowboys, the 80's 49ers and the 90's Cowboys. There have been brief moments returning to their former glory after the inevitable fall of each dynasty, but nothing like their dynastic period. This era's dynasty, New England, will eventually fade (probably not that far from happening) and their fans will in the future be pining for the "good ole days" and their storied history. Such is the circle of life in the NFL.

Our storied past is gone and is not returning. That's not negative, it's simply reality. But that doesn't mean this team can't or won't compete in the here and now for a Super Bowl, which I believe they will. Whether they do will depend on a lot of factors, including some just dumb luck (if avoidance of injuries can be attributed to luck, e.g.).

Of course.

My point was that we shouldn’t have expectations just because of our history which if you’d followed some of the previous post I don’t think you would have responded as such.

 

[glimmerman]

yes, but if it would have worked, Garrett would have been considered a genius!
Yet the ole hand clapper never catches a break...lol

I wouldn’t have considered it genius. I would have said lucky. Lol.

 

[Typhus]

I wouldn’t have considered it genius. I would have said lucky. Lol.

Lucky often translates to genius, its a game of inches, metrics apply at this level.

 

[jday]

As it is for every dynastic team - the 60's Packers, 70's Steelers and Cowboys, the 80's 49ers and the 90's Cowboys. There have been brief moments returning to their former glory after the inevitable fall of each dynasty, but nothing like their dynastic period. This era's dynasty, New England, will eventually fade (probably not that far from happening) and their fans will in the future be pining for the "good ole days" and their storied history. Such is the circle of life in the NFL.

Our storied past is gone and is not returning. That's not negative, it's simply reality. But that doesn't mean this team can't or won't compete in the here and now for a Super Bowl, which I believe they will. Whether they do will depend on a lot of factors, including some just dumb luck (if avoidance of injuries can be attributed to luck, e.g.).

That's the reality alot of people miss.

In an earlier response, I listed off a number of things I've watched in the offseason to stave off football hunger pangs. The 3 I forgot to mention were the stories of 92, 93 & 95.

It really opened my eyes to just how much luck factored into 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. Consider:

If Charles Haley wasn't such a head case, the 49ers are the team of the 90's.... potentially...

The Aikman/Walsh QB controversy could have derailed Jimmy's career before it took off. Good thing the Saints wanted Walsh.

Norv Turner acquisition.

And they had a great team...but so did the 49ers.

 

[CowboyRoy]

We've butted heads before Roy, but I respect you, despite not always agreeing with you. Like you, I see the same thing you do and particularly in the immediate aftermath when I was caught up in the emotion, I wanted to see the organization gutted.

Over the course of the offseason, to stave off football hunger pangs, I watched All or Nothing, full games from the last 2 years as well as The Dynasty. I've watched the Super Bowls, the NFC Championships, the 3rd season of Last Chance U, and a Football Life: Troy Aikman.

With those particular selections coloring the lense of my perspective, I have a better understanding of the moving parts within an organization and how they interact. Add to that the chaos element of Murphy's Law and luck and you are left with a cause that is beyond improbable...the Eagles being a prime example.

Granted, they experienced adversity with injuries, but the luck aspect stepped in made sure the fo had an answer backing them up. Due to the cap, you can't have that answer for every position, so you just have to hope you do. Sometimes hope is the only plan.


The Cowboys coaches have actually had mixed results overcoming adversity, but since the times they haven't stick out freshest in our minds, we fans tend to forget or dismiss the times they have.

Also, I see the positives of what we have. For my part I see a young and talented team. Alot of potential...and alot of inexperience. And I also see what looks like a very talented NFL, so I personally don't have high hopes for the season, but I do think it will be fun to watch.

I was waaay too confrontational when I first came on here. I was used to other message boards where it was kill or be killed.

I respect you as well. Cant always read those books you write but Im not a patient guy.

Ill tell you what...............Some of the things they have done this offseason, albeit too late for my liking, I really like. Gutting a lot of the coaches was waaay overdue. Brought in some good ones. Overhauling the receivers and changing the offense to suit Dak. Suring up the line. Not reaching for players the last few years and getting rid of all the bad contracts and babies. Going in a good direction. Have been for a few years. Finding Dak was a great stroke up luck and has put on on a possible contender path in the next few years. But we are NOT there yet. This will be a very very critical season with all these young guys from the last 3 years. Make or break on some of these defensive guys.

 

[jday]

I was waaay too confrontational when I first came on here. I was used to other message boards where it was kill or be killed.

I respect you as well. Cant always read those books you write but Im not a patient guy.

Ill tell you what...............Some of the things they have done this offseason, albeit too late for my liking, I really like. Gutting a lot of the coaches was waaay overdue. Brought in some good ones. Overhauling the receivers and changing the offense to suit Dak. Suring up the line. Not reaching for players the last few years and getting rid of all the bad contracts and babies. Going in a good direction. Have been for a few years. Finding Dak was a great stroke up luck and has put on on a possible contender path in the next few years. But we are NOT there yet. This will be a very very critical season with all these young guys from the last 3 years. Make or break on some of these defensive guys.

I've got caught up in the moment a time or two myself. I turn 40 next month and I'm getting to that stage of my life where I can simply disagree with someone and not feel the need to let them know. Lol

 

[Diehardblues]

That's the reality alot of people miss.

In an earlier response, I listed off a number of things I've watched in the offseason to stave off football hunger pangs. The 3 I forgot to mention were the stories of 92, 93 & 95.

It really opened my eyes to just how much luck factored into 3 Super Bowls in 4 years. Consider:

If Charles Haley wasn't such a head case, the 49ers are the team of the 90's.... potentially...

The Aikman/Walsh QB controversy could have derailed Jimmy's career before it took off. Good thing the Saints wanted Walsh.

Norv Turner acquisition.

And they had a great team...but so did the 49ers.

Jimmy made his own luck. Luck is over rated. I believe in making your own luck. And we gave one SB away with Barry. But SF did have a good team. Can’t spot them 21.

We had the most and greatest overall talent and why we won. There’s no substitute for talent. That was a planned strategy and excellent eye taking full advantage of our picks. That’s not luck.

Drafting Walsh was smart move hedging Jimmy’s bet. Jimmy knew he had to have a QB. And he recieved 3 picks for Walsh. There was never a controversy.

Haley was another hedged bet. We could have won without him. Maybe not as convincingly.

The biggest move was Herschel trade which again a ballsy move most teams wouldn’t have pulled off trading your best player. Brilliant!!

 

[jday]

Jimmy made his own luck. Luck is over rated. I believe in making your own luck. And we gave one SB away with Barry. But SF did have a good team. Can’t spot them 21.

We had the most and greatest overall talent and why we won. There’s no substitute for talent. That was a planned strategy and excellent eye taking full advantage of our picks. That’s not luck.

Drafting Walsh was smart move hedging Jimmy’s bet. Jimmy knew he had to have a QB. And he recieved 3 picks for Walsh. There was never a controversy.

Haley was another hedged bet. We could have won without him. Maybe not as convincingly.

The biggest move was Herschel trade which again a ballsy move most teams wouldn’t have pulled off trading your best player. Brilliant!!

Personally, I say there was luck involved but your point is not lost on me. Jimmy was one of aakind but alot of things fell into place just right.

If I recall correctly, Emmitt wasn't Jimmy's first choice. Luckily, someone made that choice for him. Just an example...

But again, I also see that he too was an important cog in what was.

 

[Diehardblues]

Personally, I say there was luck involved but your point is not lost on me. Jimmy was one of aakind but alot of things fell into place just right.

If I recall correctly, Emmitt wasn't Jimmy's first choice. Luckily, someone made that choice for him. Just an example...

But again, I also see that he too was an important cog in what was.

Emmitt didn’t have to be his first choice to not be his alternate choice . On draft day the board changes with each selection as teams in front of you pick.

Most if all it was Jimmy’s familiarity with Emmitt which provided Jimmy the insight and confidence to select Emmitt. I seriously doubt we would have selected Emmitt without Jimmy regardless if he was Jimmys first pick at that slot.

Sure , there always a lucky bounce that can go your way. But I certainly wouldn’t describe how Jimmy built that team lucky. Or how that team went on to win back to back championships lucky.

 

[CCBoy]

What a fun read, guy...

I agree, this season should be a great one for all real Dallas fans.

I'm not talking about the emotional jockeys, who would rather not use their own heads and instead latch upon anger and scorn as it most closely resembles what is in their own heads. Emotion on emotion is much easier to express than applying thought paired with values. Lol, go figure the holes in that affair.

I'm higher on the value of this team, in an additional way. That is in playoff experience by this team of Cowboys. It has top team record recognition as well as losing to the top player in the NFL, Rodgers, by a margin less than 7 points with both playoff games added together. The point here, is that the team has accrued some some quality experience in two of the past four seasons. That part is money in the bank come December and then into the playoffs.

Having to clean up the acts of both Gregory and now Irving, can have a team influence positive as well. The team probably pulls together at a very deep and personal level, in rooting for personal reasons and hard facts of live. That may add up to an edge, when conflict and challenges in games arise.

Those two elements well can gain a dominant and aggressive element that meets challenge...once the playoffs are reached.

Marinelli will have the defense attacking offenses now...as his type of players fill most positional slots on the defensive side of ball. There is some strong talent at the defensive end, and should make the tackles more effective. Hustle is king here, and this group of tackles are hustlers if nothing more than that. They have some grit, and in the NFL, that kind of grit goes a long ways.

The offense will depend upon it's coordinator. Percentages will be a big part of the plan for this year. Having a top end offensive line and a top 5 running back won't hurt that. Unless one has Rodgers or Brady, that will immediately put the team into competition for any game played.

With that hind sight, and the great insights that you provided...this fan is ready to watch some great Cowboy football this season. Oh, and I promise not to chunk something at my TV this year. I already know that with youth, is growth. But the play will be some great viewing...at least this fan won't be wasting time comparing every single replay to cry in my beer when something does go wrong. A player needs both personal experiences, good and bad, to have the ability to see and do. It takes the human mind .2 of a second just to categorize an observance...add in decisional time, and that alone makes a player slower.

The leadership in players, is growing, and so will what the team does together as well!

Thanks

 

[CCBoy]

Jimmy made his own luck. Luck is over rated. I believe in making your own luck. And we gave one SB away with Barry. But SF did have a good team. Can’t spot them 21.

We had the most and greatest overall talent and why we won. There’s no substitute for talent. That was a planned strategy and excellent eye taking full advantage of our picks. That’s not luck.

Drafting Walsh was smart move hedging Jimmy’s bet. Jimmy knew he had to have a QB. And he recieved 3 picks for Walsh. There was never a controversy.

Haley was another hedged bet. We could have won without him. Maybe not as convincingly.

The biggest move was Herschel trade which again a ballsy move most teams wouldn’t have pulled off trading your best player. Brilliant!!

I disagree on the whole ball of wax going to Jimma'...but then, he almost lost Troy Aikman and if not for a last resort at grabbing a Coordinator, Norv Turner, saved his talent and provided a valid offense to the Cowboys. Something about an offense around the talent strengths of Aikman. And the Defensive Coordinator took the 'heat' off of that side of the ball as well.

I completely agree on the San Francisco game...but there was an intense rivalry there as well.

 

[Diehardblues]

I disagree on the whole ball of wax going to Jimma'...but then, he almost lost Troy Aikman and if not for a last resort at grabbing a Coordinator, Norv Turner, saved his talent and provided a valid offense to the Cowboys. Something about an offense around the talent strengths of Aikman. And the Defensive Coordinator took the 'heat' off of that side of the ball as well.

I completely agree on the San Francisco game...but there was an intense rivalry there as well.

When Jimmy went to Miami we saw what kind of coach he was without the talent level barely able to get them back in the playoffs.

And we saw what kind of coordinators Turner and Wanestandt were without the Cowboys talent. This notion talent isn’t the driving force is laughable.

The NFL is a talent driven league. The teams and coaches who can assemble the most talent especially at the key areas of concern place themselves in the best position for success.

There’s really very few exceptions. Any why even the most legendary coaches struggle to win without more talent.

Great NFL coaches have a keen eye for talent in building their rosters. Not just in the 1st round but down thru the draft addressing key areas of concern.

 

[Galian Beast]

That’s killed us our last 2 trips to the playoffs. Just my opinion. And calls like the seahags game when you are 1st and goal on the 3 and you have the best RB and O-Line in the league and never attempt to run the ball. Who does this?

Easily one of if not the worst call I've ever seen in my life.

 

[McKDaddy]

The Giants and Commanders are not better than the Cowboys. The Iggles are who we are chasing right now. Teams don't win the NFCE back to back very often. I like our chances depending on how Dak plays. If he is bad, the Cowboys might win 9 games, If he plays like he did his rookie year, we will challenge for the division title.

But i think they are going to be better than most folks seem to be giving them credit for which makes our division quite tough. We need to win the division outright and avoid any tie breaker scenarios for a wild card spot.

 

[Diehardblues]

Great coaching can elevate some like we saw with Parcells in 2003 uplifting a 5-11 team to the playoffs but still without the more elite talent that’s a short lived elevation .

Much like we saw in Romo era . He was able to elevate a lesser team team thru the regular season keeping us in contention but ultimately falls to more talented teams.

The Cowboys simply have yet to build a talented enough team throughout this era and consistently maintain it. Yes, we had a couple teams like in 2007 and 2014 that were good enough to make a run but when faced against more elite talent couldn’t survive . And where not being there consistently doesn’t allow enough opportunities.

Rodgers was in the the playoffs 8 straight seasons but only made it to 3 championship games and 2 Super Bowls. Being a consistent contender is the key. It provides more experience and opportunities.

Our franchise has failed miserably in maintaining that consistency because we don’t draft well year after year or only hit on 1st round and then don’t always make good FA moves and signing or releasing the guys most critical to our success. It’s a cumulative effort and why the front office , VP, GM and HC are so vital in the building and maintaining the talent.

 

[jsb357]

Thoughts?

How many games does the Garrett staff out coach the opposing staff to get the win?