Comparing this team to 2017

[waldoputty]

I think it's very doubtful Irving contributes anything this year. And if Marinelli doesn't hand over the CB alignment to Richard, we'll be in the same boat as ever. 3rd and 7 is a pitch and catch with 10 yard cushions. No pass rush can fix that.

I really hope they play aggressive when it matters at crunch time. But Garrett and Rod seem allergic to anything outside the ultra conservative box.

i may take a couple weeks for irving to come back in shape.
he was suspended for 4 games last year also and he came back a monster.
well richard is the passing defensive coach so we shall see.

 

[cowboyblue22]

I think other teams offenses will really take advantage of the safeties on this team

 

[TheHerd]

i may take a couple weeks for irving to come back in shape.
he was suspended for 4 games last year also and he came back a monster.
well richard is the passing defensive coach so we shall see.

I hope you're right on both counts. If so, this could be an interesting year

 

[waldoputty]

I think other teams offenses will really take advantage of the safeties on this team

they can but that is where pressure can be game changer.
if irving comes back right, it could be quite a sight.

 

[waldoputty]

I hope you're right on both counts. If so, this could be an interesting year

me too!

 

[Noclaf]

Just done see how anyone could be so optimistic about this offense, the d will be better but I'm afraid they are going to lock down Zeke and we have absolutely no other play makers on the offensive, could be a very long year

 

[TheHerd]

Just done see how anyone could be so optimistic about this offense, the d will be better but I'm afraid they are going to lock down Zeke and we have absolutely no other play makers on the offensive, could be a very long year

Who were the playmakers last year? Zeke isn't so easy to lockdown. Team's have tried since he joined the league, and it's happened only a few times.

 

[waldoputty]

Just done see how anyone could be so optimistic about this offense, the d will be better but I'm afraid they are going to lock down Zeke and we have absolutely no other play makers on the offensive, could be a very long year

it is pretty simple really.

austin has the speed and return ability that has to be respected. on various sweeps, he can be given the ball in a low-risk exchange. that by itself makes the defense loosen up a bit for zeke. he had a similar effect for the rams and many question why he was traded including gurley

dez of 2017 =/= dez of 2013
he was not that reliable and his ability to grab contested catches was not impressive.
rico is a far better receiver for contested catches at this point.

witten of 2017 =/= witten of 2013
he has just too many steps and actually missed a reasonable number of blocks.
he is a nice insurance policy for dak but also blocked the progress for other tes
rico's extra 25 lbs on witten is a big advantage when making catches in traffic and being hit.
yea witten knows the routes better but those are less of an issue for short passes and less of an issue when u r not trying to throw the receivers open

 

[waldoputty]

Who were the playmakers last year? Zeke isn't so easy to lockdown. Team's have tried since he joined the league, and it's happened only a few times.

yea, that is a good perspective. dez and witten were just not the same. they moved on, and while there could be growing pains, the benefits later in the season could be susbstantial if gallup and the inexperienced tes progress. they did the same thing last year with dbs, though it doomed 2017. the roster is 1 year further developed with depth and strength at ol, lb, dl and cb, so i think we will be fine at wr and te.

 

[charron]

Disagree that the OL is improved by much. Center is obviously down and while everyone thought Flemming is better than green it wasn't by much. If Tyron goes out Flemming will get exposed.

At wr defenses can only need to double Gallup and bracket Beasley if in the slot. Rookies tend to struggle with consistency, Gallup is about to hit a wall. We have 2proven average to good players in Williams ans beasly the rest are unknown in this scheme.

 

[ClappingCarrot]

My issue isn't as much with the talent as it is with the coaching staff. I would just love to get some brilliant, offensive-minded coaches in here that can provide the tools for this team to execute. It's a glaring need with this team, but the FO keeps holding onto the fluke that was the 2016 season as some sort of evidence.

From an outsider looking in, it appears to me that all the 'real' coaches on this team (like Marinelli, Richard, Lett, etc.) are on the other side of the ball. Coach these kids up and revamp this offensive scheme!

 

[waldoputty]

Disagree that the OL is improved by much. Center is obviously down and while everyone thought Flemming is better than green it wasn't by much. If Tyron goes out Flemming will get exposed.

At wr defenses can only need to double Gallup and bracket Beasley if in the slot. Rookies tend to struggle with consistency, Gallup is about to hit a wall. We have 2proven average to good players in Williams ans beasly the rest are unknown in this scheme.

flemming played real games adequately as a starter at both re and le, and that makes him one of the best swing tackles. is he tsmith, of course not. furthermore, williams is another lt option that was not available last year. if needed, there are enough guards to play lg. that is a lot of depth.
gallup is an option like hurns. hurns had double the average separation than dez, and dez lost a lot of his clutch catching abilities. i dont see a big dropoff from dez to hurns.
before zeke suspension, the team was 5-3 and that is with the switzer meltdown against the rams. i stand by at least 12 wins if gregory continues to play like he has and dlaw's back does not explode.

 

[GenoT]

The problem with these types of before-the-fact comparisons is, they’re meaningless at this point.

The 2017 team has a recorded W-L record — a charitable 9-7.

The 2018 team has yet to play a game.

Spot the difference?

 

[waldoputty]

My issue isn't as much with the talent as it is with the coaching staff. I would just love to get some brilliant, offensive-minded coaches in here that can provide the tools for this team to execute. It's a glaring need with this team, but the FO keeps holding onto the fluke that was the 2016 season as some sort of evidence.

From an outsider looking in, it appears to me that all the 'real' coaches on this team (like Marinelli, Richard, Lett, etc.) are on the other side of the ball. Coach these kids up and revamp this offensive scheme!

richard running the passing d is going to be really interesting. hope the marinelli prevent goes out the door.
the 2016 season was basically 14-win, and i expect the offense to hit it stride by the middle of the season and get at least 12.

 

[Swagger]

The team is built around the O-Line. and there have to be question marks over: -

Travis Frederick - I hope he's ok long term and only plays if it doesn't put his own health at risk
Tyron Smith - seemingly been suffering from chronic back issues over the past 18 months, ask JJ Watt how he has been getting on with his back...
Zack Martin - question mark over his knee(s). Hopefully he will be ok but once there is potentially vulnerability in the knee then it's not a good sign.

We don't know how it will play out but I think there must be some serious concern regarding the O-Line next season.

 

[waldoputty]

The team is built around the O-Line. and there have to be question marks over: -

Travis Frederick - I hope he's ok long term and only plays if it doesn't put his own health at risk
Tyron Smith - seemingly been suffering from chronic back issues over the past 18 months, ask JJ Watt how he has been getting on with his back...
Zack Martin - question mark over his knee(s). Hopefully he will be ok but once there is potentially vulnerability in the knee then it's not a good sign.

We don't know how it will play out but I think there must be some serious concern regarding the O-Line next season.

tfred is a big concern though martin went back to practice.
tsmith is going to be an ongoing concern.
in addition to looney, we replaced green and bell with ehinger and fleming.

 

[KJJ]

This team looks completely different from last years team. Who would have predicted Dez, Witten and Bailey would be gone? It would have been laughable to think that TWO of those players would be cut but Garrett would still be around. I've been following the Cowboys since the 72 season and have never seen the team lose this much star power over a 3 year period. It's almost mind boggling to think that Romo. Witten, Dez and Bailey are all gone. The team just lost 3 players this offseason/preseason that accounted for a large number of the teams points the past decade. Training camp attendance was way down in Oxnard because Zeke is the only player that excites anyone on this team. Gregory has fans excited but we all know he's day to day and his next suspension could come down any time. Gathers was creating a little excitement and now it appears he's dne with his arrest for pot. Can't count on Irving with his problems.

Once you get past Zeke and few other players this roster is mostly JAGS and unproven young players. The Cowboys aren't going to win consistently riding Zeke all season and depending on him for all our points. There's going to be games where he's going to be contained and eventually he's going to come up with an injury. Several players are going to have to step up or it's going to be a long year. If we start losing games and Zeke were to go down there's bound to be some empty seats in the stadium this season.

Jerry may can keep butts filling the seats with Zeke on the field regardless how the team plays but if training camp attendance is any indication the Jones boys have to be pretty nervous with the lack of big name players this team has. Jerry went out and signed the Deion's and Haley's in the 90s not only to win but to create fan excitement. This team has lost better players than it's added this year. Not saying it's going to lead to a terrible season but on paper it doesn't look good. We all know that the Cowboys always seem to respond when expectations are low. We'll see if that holds up this year but outside the encouraging play from the defense it's hard to get excited looking at this roster especially offensively.

 

[Batman1980]

Rico Gathers isn't 1/3 the red zone threat Dez is, even now.

 

[waldoputty]

i dont think we are missing out on much in dez's wr skills.
before dez's release:
Dez Bryant is declining in just about every way for the Dallas Cowboys.
He is not as fast as he was in his youth, which wasn't all that quick to begin with, as Bryant always relied more on strength.
But now he can't generate any separation between himself and defensive backs,
and his diminished leaping ability takes away the jump balls he always loved.
His hands aren't as sure as they once were,
and his route-running hasn't improved as it does for most older receivers.
Bryant is trying to play like a 24-year-old when he's actually 29, and it failed last season. It has failed three seasons in a row now, and the team is apparently running out of patience.

 

[Batman1980]

Dez was a Romo piece but once his explosion faded and his athleticism started to wane, he was no longer a #1 receiver. Also in an offense that will probably throw less than any other, we simply cannot justify a $14 million a season WR.