Can Dallas win a Super Bowl with RB By Committee?

[ufcrules1]

We weren't wrong. We knew there was a rebuild going on. We knew that the dead weight needed to get cleaned up and pieces needed to be added. We knew that injuries derailed things in 2012 and 2013. We knew the process was working when posters like you were screaming for 4 years about it not working and everything that was being built right under your nose needed blown up. When that vision resulted in 12-4 instead of seeing the big picture that it was 4 years in the making, all you see is running game and Murray. Well you yourself keep saying you were not a Murray fan, that is until he gets to be the new mantra of the realists so you have a new imaginary thing to ***** about.

So to sum up we were not just right about last year, we have been right the entire time that Garrett has been coach.

I don't think anyone saw us having a 12-4 season before the season started. With regards to JG, he was learning on the job for his first couple of years and finally started doing a decent job once they pretty much took all of the play calling away from him. He probably would have been cut from any other team but Jerry always holds on longer than others. That is why we have had such little success in the past 20 years. We overpaid and hung on to vets for far too long. We have finally stopped doing that mainly because Jerry has relinquished some of his job over to Stephen.

Last year was fantastic thanks to our play calling and run game. Hopefully we can duplicate that.

 

[ufcrules1]

You make a good point.

There's no doubt in my mind that last year's team was flat-out better than the '13 team. More talent on the OL. More talent on the DL.

Lots of folks say the game is won in the trenches... Well the '14 team had better players in the trenches than they did in '13.

I can agree with that.. our trenches got better.. but why would anyone say "realists" got it wrong? Realists wanted better players in the trenches and wanted to get rid of overpaid overhyped players. The team finally started doing this and we got better.

 

[blindzebra]

You find it hard to admit that you was wrong?

Really?

So last year just magically happened? Nothing that occurred in the previous 3 and a half seasons had anything to do with 12-4?

Yeah, I am the one having trouble admitting I was wrong.

 

[Blackspider214]

Every single SB winning team you listed had bettr RB group than what we currently have. And it's not even close. No one we have right now can be counted on. It's not a good thing when the mist durable guy you have is Randle.

Also, a lot of those teams have great defenses. We don't. We needed our running game last year to mask how bad our defense was. And they got exposed finally in the playoffs.

And 2013 Seattle was not a committee. That was all Lynch.

And 2014 NE was a passing team. They didn't lean on the run. We do.

 

[blindzebra]

I don't think anyone saw us having a 12-4 season before the season started. With regards to JG, he was learning on the job for his first couple of years and finally started doing a decent job once they pretty much took all of the play calling away from him. He probably would have been cut from any other team but Jerry always holds on longer than others. That is why we have had such little success in the past 20 years. We overpaid and hung on to vets for far too long. We have finally stopped doing that mainly because Jerry has relinquished some of his job over to Stephen.

Last year was fantastic thanks to our play calling and run game. Hopefully we can duplicate that.

LOL, more revisionist history. They did not take play calling away from him, Jerry finally relented to Jason wanting to be a walk-around HC from the day he got hired. As far as changes in play calling that was Garrett too unless you are calling Linehan a liar.

 

[KJJ]

We weren't wrong. We knew there was a rebuild going on.

The fact there was a rebuild going on coupled with key injuries to the defense such as Sean Lee out for the season and the Cowboys first defensive pick lost for half the season caused everyone including the hopeful optimists to be wrong. Everyone including the FANS were coming to grips in August that the 2014 season would very likely be a rough rebuilding year. Spirits were so down on the board especially after the ultimate homer Jerry claimed the Cowboys would be in an uphill battle in 2014 that some were already talking about the prospects of having a top 5 pick. LOL Even those living in a fantasy world couldn't have dreamed up a single season franchise record rushing performance by Murray or a win in Seattle en route to a 12-4 season and the NFC East title.

The Cowboys on paper looked more like a 4-12 team than a 12-4 team heading into 2014. The defense was the 3rd worst defense statistically in NFL history in 2013 giving up an NFL record 40 first downs to NO plus they were the first defense to give up four 400 yard passing performances. Heading into the offseason the defense lost it's 3 best players Ware, Hatcher and Lee. If that wasn't bad enough Demarcus Lawrence the player drafted to replace Ware was lost for the first 8 games and Scandrick the teams best corner gets suspended for 2 games. The Cowboys had a nightmare of an offseason and some how it turned into a 12-4 season that saw the teams first playoff win in 5 years....go figure!

 

[jnday]

Really?

So last year just magically happened? Nothing that occurred in the previous 3 and a half seasons had anything to do with 12-4?

Yeah, I am the one having trouble admitting I was wrong.

Did you predict a 12-4 record? What about those 8-8 seasons? You have always posted predictions about how good the team would be. You finally got it right one year.

 

[big dog cowboy]

And 2014 NE was a passing team. They didn't lean on the run. We do.

Last year we averaged 4.375 more rushing attempts per game more than New England. That isn't many.

 

[Blackspider214]

Last year we averaged 4.375 more rushing attempts per game more than New England. That isn't many.

Too bad sports isn't just about numbers and stats and is played on the field.. Like Randy Galloway says, watch the games. It's painfully obvious who leans on the run the most. Switch the offensive philosophy and no way can Blount or whomever they have can be counted on as a bell cow.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

The concern is the Cowboys are going to be relying more on the talent of their OL than the talent of their backs. More stacked boxes could lead to a considerably less effective running game which is going to force Romo into more passing situations. One area of concern with the OL has been in pass protection. Although Romo had the fewest passing attempts of his career last season in which he played at least 15 games he was sacked 29 times including 5 times vs Washington which resulted in another back injury forcing him to miss a game. The Cowboys were very fortunate not to have lost Romo for the season on that play. If Romo is forced to throw more his int's will likely increase and his efficiency will likely decrease.

His chance of injury goes up the more he has to throw unless the OL provides better pass protection. Great run blocking unit but it's been suspect in pass protection. It's very possible to distribute the carries and still have a strong running attack the Cowboys had pretty good running attacks distributing carries in 06 in 07 but they couldn't pick up the tough yards and the running game started to fizz once the season got down to do or die. This put all the pressure on Romo to have to win those games in the 4th quarter. We'll find out soon enough how the Cowboys RB situation affects the upcoming season.

Concern for who? I'm not more concerned about the Cowboys leaning more on the OL then on the talent of a RB. Obviously you would like to have both and you need a certain level of talent in order to be succesful in the NFL but the concern you speak of is not necessarily a reality. Is the OL better at run blocking then pass blocking? Yes, but as time goes on, they are going to improve in this area as well. I mean, you write this as if nobody understands how this game is played. As I watched Romo last year, there were many sacks that I felt, could have been avoided. If he gets ride of the ball quicker, those numbers go down. However, he has to decide to do this. If he does not, no amount of talent at RB or in the OL is going to help him from getting hit or taking sacks. As for the Washington game, he should never have been in that game after initially getting injured, to begin with. Honestly, if he is not brought back in, I believe we win that game but that's here nor there. An all world RB is not going to change that for Romo. He has control of the offense and if he decides not to run the ball or to check out of running plays, then the results are not going to be different, regardless of who is playing RB for us. You don't need an AP in the backfield to have a good focused running attack. You need a commitment on offense and talent on the OL and RB. The pressure is not on Romo unless we go away from the running game. There is no reason to think that we will not be able to run the ball in the 4th quarter with the talent we have. That's supposition at this point.

 

[KJJ]

Concern for who? I'm not more concerned about the Cowboys leaning more on the OL then on the talent of a RB. Obviously you would like to have both and you need a certain level of talent in order to be succesful in the NFL but the concern you speak of is not necessarily a reality. Is the OL better at run blocking then pass blocking? Yes, but as time goes on, they are going to improve in this area as well. I mean, you write this as if nobody understands how this game is played. As I watched Romo last year, there were many sacks that I felt, could have been avoided. If he gets ride of the ball quicker, those numbers go down. However, he has to decide to do this. If he does not, no amount of talent at RB or in the OL is going to help him from getting hit or taking sacks. As for the Washington game, he should never have been in that game after initially getting injured, to begin with. Honestly, if he is not brought back in, I believe we win that game but that's here nor there. An all world RB is not going to change that for Romo. He has control of the offense and if he decides not to run the ball or to check out of running plays, then the results are not going to be different, regardless of who is playing RB for us. You don't need an AP in the backfield to have a good focused running attack. You need a commitment on offense and talent on the OL and RB. The pressure is not on Romo unless we go away from the running game. There is no reason to think that we will not be able to run the ball in the 4th quarter with the talent we have. That's supposition at this point.

When you're relying on the talent of your OL more than the talent of your RB's that's a concern. The signing of Collins was another move to try and assure the Cowboys can maintain a solid running attack despite the loss of Murray. Many claim any back could run behind The Great Wall of Dallas but when Emmitt held out in 93 the Cowboys dropped their first 2 games with Derrick Lassic. In week 2 vs Buffalo Lassic only rushed for 52 yards on 19 carries averaging 2.7 a carry behind The Great Wall. You can't rely an OL to make an average back look special. Some here don't know how this game is played just read their posts. Some of Romo's sacks were due to him not moving well early in the season he took 7 sacks in his first 2 games. The 5 sacks he took vs Washington was due to the Cowboys having trouble with the blitz. Although Romo's sacks diminished some late in the season he took 10 sacks in the playoffs while only attempting 50 passes. Some of the sacks have been on Romo but some have been due to poor pass protection.The Great Wall of Dallas could run block and pass protect. Troy Aikman was sacked a combined total of only 28 times in 94 and 95 and he couldn't make the Houdini escapes Romo can. An RB who played all world last season changed a lot for Romo.

He had his best most efficient season of his career and led the NFL in passer rating for the first time plus he received 2 MVP votes. He looked the most steady we've ever seen him look in the playoffs. Never in a come from behind situation in a playoff/elimination game has he ever looked as poised as he looked vs Detroit. Not having to carry the team all season had him sharp and under control during the playoffs. We weren't seeing the poor decisions and impulse throws that caused him to have so many turnovers in past playoff/elimination games. You don't need an AP but you need a very solid lead back you can lean on especially in the big games. The Cowboys have always had a terrific lead back in all their SB appearances and wins. I'm not saying the Cowboys won't be able to run the ball in the 4th quarter but one of the backs has to emerge into a go to back in tough yardage situations if the Cowboys running game is going to be as consistent as last season.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

When you're relying on the talent of your OL more than the talent of your RB's that's a concern. The signing of Collins was another move to try and assure the Cowboys can maintain a solid running attack despite the loss of Murray. Many claim any back could run behind The Great Wall of Dallas but when Emmitt held out in 93 the Cowboys dropped their first 2 games with Derrick Lassic. In week 2 vs Buffalo Lassic only rushed for 52 yards on 19 carries averaging 2.7 a carry behind The Great Wall. You can't rely an OL to make an average back look special. Some here don't know how this game is played just read their posts. Some of Romo's sacks were due to him not moving well early in the season he took 7 sacks in his first 2 games. The 5 sacks he took vs Washington was due to the Cowboys having trouble with the blitz. Although Romo's sacks diminished some late in the season he took 10 sacks in the playoffs while only attempting 50 passes. Some of the sacks have been on Romo but some have been due to poor pass protection.The Great Wall of Dallas could run block and pass protect. Troy Aikman was sacked a combined total of only 28 times in 94 and 95 and he couldn't make the Houdini escapes Romo can. An RB who played all world last season changed a lot for Romo.

He had his best most efficient season of his career and led the NFL in passer rating for the first time plus he received 2 MVP votes. He looked the most steady we've ever seen him look in the playoffs. Never in a come from behind situation in a playoff/elimination game has he ever looked as poised as he looked vs Detroit. Not having to carry the team all season had had him sharp and under control during the playoffs. We weren't seeing the poor decisions and impulse throws that caused him to have so many turnovers in past playoff/elimination games. You don't need an AP but you need a very solid lead back you can lean on especially in the big games. The Cowboys have always had a terrific lead back in all their SB appearances and wins. I'm not saying the Cowboys won't be able to run the ball in the 4th quarter but one of the backs has to emerge into a go to back in tough yardage situations if the Cowboys running game is going to be as consistent as last season.

Not to me. All good teams rely on the talent of the OL. It has already been said that you need to have talent at RB but it doesn't have to be Murray. We have way more talent at RB right now then we did in 92. This is not the same situation IMO. If you don't think we have any talent at RB, then obviously it's going to be a problem. If you do believe we have talent then it's probably not. Nobody knows exactly what these RBs will do. They could be good or they could be bad but nothing is proven yet. We will see.

 

[tyke1doe]

Yes, as long as they stay healthy.

 

[KJJ]

sorry but I think laughing at other poster"s predictions with your track record is what deserves .

Like I said until last season my track record was virtually flawless my archives don't lie. I got attacked by several for missing on the Seattle game when everyone who was attacking me also got it wrong. LOL That shows just how good my track record has been over the years when I'm being persecuted for a call on a game that everyone missed. One poster who laughed at me for missing on the Seattle game predicted the Cowboys would lose that game by 24 points. I dug his prediction up in the prediction thread and slammed him with it telling him to laugh at that! Some here reach for anything in an attempt to prove me wrong. I've had posters fabricate quotes, comments and predictions in an attempt to make me look wrong. When you have haters out there you have to deal with a lot of crap and agendas. Not one poster who routinely disagrees with me can point to a call I've missed on this board that they got right but I can point to a lot of calls I've nailed that ended up blowing up in their face. Let me make one thing perfectly clear I only poke fun at the ridiculous predictions FANS make not the realistic predictions. Who's not going to laugh at someone predicting that Ryan Williams will have a 2000 yard season in 2015? Who's not going to laugh or at least roll their eyes at someone claiming that with the moves the Cowboys have made on defense they could be the #1 defense in the league in 2015? Let's be honest some of the predictions we see on this board are hilarious and expose many as typical armchair Cowboy FANS. Some of the calls made here are so ridiculous it's almost like a few are trying to get a laugh or lose credibility. Some here can't even predict a Cowboys win without going overboard. Many here predicted the Cowboys would beat the Packers in the playoffs (not me) but one FAN couldn't resist predicting a 30 point blowout by the Cowboys at LAMBEAU. When the FAN starts coming out in a poster it can be a powerful, overwhelming force causing a few to lose all sense of reality. Most who routinely make outlandish calls know they have nothing to lose so every year they throw as much insanity out there as they can knowing that eventually they may get lucky. I'm sure there's at least a couple of posters on this board who predicted a 12-4 season last year because they predict 12-4 seasons EVERY year.

 

[KJJ]

Not to me. All good teams rely on the talent of the OL. It has already been said that you need to have talent at RB but it doesn't have to be Murray. We have way more talent at RB right now then we did in 92. This is not the same situation IMO. If you don't think we have any talent at RB, then obviously it's going to be a problem. If you do believe we have talent then it's probably not. Nobody knows exactly what these RBs will do. They could be good or they could be bad but nothing is proven yet. We will see.

Not every team has a great OL but that hasn't stopped the elite runners over the years from being productive. No one really ever talks about the OL's that the all-time great RB's ran behind except for the Cowboys Great Wall. What you're saying about Murray would you say the same thing about Emmitt that you need talent at RB but it didn't have to be him? I'm not saying Murray is Emmitt but last season he had more carries and rushing yards than Emmitt ever had in a season. Jerry is banking on the talent of his OL to make the backs he has productive. He's pretty much admitted that himself with comments he's made. A month before the draft he said he wouldn't rule out using another #1 on the OL. He said if we continue to strengthen the OL it would put less importance on having a great back. During the season he said he thought Randle could do what Murray was doing and many took that comment as Jerry sending a message out to Murray's agent but I think Jerry really believes it.

He thought Marion Barber could do as a starter what he was doing as a role player and he ended up being wrong. Jerry has made several miscalculations at RB thinking Troy Hambrick could replace Emmitt. He passed on Steve Jackson going with Julius Jones due to a trade. He paid MB3 who clearly wasn't a feature back a big starter contract that forced him to stay with him until his legs went. He decided on Felix Jones when Wade was lobbying for Chis Johnson. Jerry is clearly banking on his OL that's loaded with #1 picks because he certainly isn't banking much on McFadden or the rest of his backs. As for the Cowboys having way more talent at RB right now then in 92 you're wrong because Emmitt had more talent than all 3 of the backs the Cowboys currently have. I'm not saying the Cowboys don't have some talent at RB but it's "average" talent. You're right no one knows exactly what these RB's will do not even the Cowboys. They'll be holding their breath just like the rest of us this summer and during the 2015 season.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Not every team has a great OL but that hasn't stopped the elite runners over the years from being productive. No one really ever talks about the OL's that the all-time great RB's ran behind except for the Cowboys Great Wall. What you're saying about Murray would you say the same thing about Emmitt that you need talent at RB but it didn't have to be him? I'm not saying Murray is Emmitt but last season he had more carries and rushing yards than Emmitt ever had in a season. Jerry is banking on the talent of his OL to make the backs he has productive. He's pretty much admitted that himself with comments he's made. A month before the draft he said he wouldn't rule out using another #1 on the OL. He said if we continue to strengthen the OL it would put less importance on having a great back. During the season he said thought Randle could do what Murray was doing and many took that comment as Jerry sending a message out to Murray's agent but I think Jerry really believes it.

He thought Marion Barber could do as a starter what he was doing as a role player and he ended up being wrong. Jerry has made several miscalculations at RB thinking Troy Hambrick could replace Emmitt. He passed on Steve Jackson going with Julius Jones due to a trade. He paid MB3 who clearly wasn't a feature back a big starter contract that forced him to stay with him until his legs went. He decided on Felix Jones when Wade was lobbying for Chis Johnson. Jerry is clearly banking on his OL that's loaded with #1 picks because he certainly isn't banking much on McFadden or the rest of his backs. As for the Cowboys having way more talent at RB right now then in 92 you're wrong because Emmitt had more talent than all 3 of the backs the Cowboys currently have. I'm not saying the Cowboys don't have some talent at RB but it's "average" talent. You're right no one knows exactly what these RB's will do not even the Cowboys.

Yeah. Behind that OL, I think a lot of good RBs could have been great. To be clear, I'm not talking about below average backs and I think that physical talent is not enough. You have to have work ethic and you have to be intelligent but yeah, I think so. However, your earlier example was a team that did not have Emmitt so you would be comparing Tommy Agee, Derrick Gainer and Curvin Richards vs McFadden, Randle, Williams and Dunbar. Obviously, Emmitt was more talented then all but maybe 5 or 6 guys who have ever played the position but I think you know what I was saying.

I think the talent we have today is better and I believe in the OL. I think we are going to be OK but time will tell if I'm wrong here.

 

[5Stars]

Yeah. Behind that OL, I think a lot of good RBs could have been great. To be clear, I'm not talking about below average backs and I think that physical talent is not enough. You have to have work ethic and you have to be intelligent but yeah, I think so. However, your earlier example was a team that did not have Emmitt so you would be comparing Tommy Agee, Derrick Gainer and Curvin Richards vs McFadden, Randle, Williams and Dunbar. Obviously, Emmitt was more talented then all but maybe 5 or 6 guys who have ever played the position but I think you know what I was saying.

I think the talent we have today is better and I believe in the OL. I think we are going to be OK but time will tell if I'm wrong here.

lol...you not going to win my friend!

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Too bad sports isn't just about numbers and stats and is played on the field.. Like Randy Galloway says, watch the games. It's painfully obvious who leans on the run the most. Switch the offensive philosophy and no way can Blount or whomever they have can be counted on as a bell cow.

The number of plays is actually something that happened on the field. Compare and contrast with your emotional generalization and I have no difficulty finding him more credible.

 

[KJJ]

Yeah. Behind that OL, I think a lot of good RBs could have been great. To be clear, I'm not talking about below average backs and I think that physical talent is not enough. You have to have work ethic and you have to be intelligent but yeah, I think so. However, your earlier example was a team that did not have Emmitt so you would be comparing Tommy Agee, Derrick Gainer and Curvin Richards vs McFadden, Randle, Williams and Dunbar. Obviously, Emmitt was more talented then all but maybe 5 or 6 guys who have ever played the position but I think you know what I was saying.

I think the talent we have today is better and I believe in the OL. I think we are going to be OK but time will tell if I'm wrong here.

If you're saying the backs the Cowboys currently have are way more talented than the backups the Cowboys had in 92 then I agree. Because of Emmitt's durability and being able to carry the load the Cowboys weren't dependent on having a solid backup. I believe in the OL but if injuries occur upfront especially a rash of them we're going to be more dependent on the talent we have at RB. What the current group has to prove is they can be consistent and that one of them can be relied on to move the chains in tough yardage situations.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

lol...you not going to win my friend!

I'm Married. I understand that concept. LOL......