Cowboys 5th best OLineman each season since 1996

[Beaker42]

Connor Williams has been the 5th best OLineman this season.

Connor Williams in 2019 has been better than the 5th best OLineman most years.

2019 Connor Williams as the "5th best OLineman":
2018: Better in 2019 than himself or Su'a-Filo in 2018.
2017: Better than J.Cooper or C.Green.
2016: Better than Doug Free (Free allowed 9 sacks).
2015: Better than Doug Free.
2014: (Tyron, Leary, Frederick, Martin)
- With Parnell at RT for 7 games: Maybe the best lineup since 1996.
- With Doug Free at RT: I'll take Connor Williams at LG over Free at RT.
2013: Better than Bernadeau.
2012: Better than Livings, Cook or Bernadeau.
2011: Better than Holland or Costa.
2010: Better than Doug Free at Left Tackle (Yikes, Free at LT).
2009: This lineup was good on their best days but Columbo missed 7 starts. Flozell & Bigg declining.
2008: Better than Cory Proctor at LG.
2007: Solid Lineup this year with Flozell, Kosier, Gurode, Bigg, Columbo.
2006: Marco Rivera at RG. Back injury in Spring of 2005. Never very good with Cowboys.
2005: Torrin Tucker and Rob Petitti playing OT was a low point.
2004: Torrin Tucker at OT.
2003: Matt Lehr at Center.
2002: Soloman Page at OT. Tyson Walter at OC.
2001: Soloman Page at OT. Kelvin Garmin at OG.
2000: Soloman Page at OG.
1999: Everett McIver at OC.
1998: Clay Shiver at OC.
1997: Clay Shiver at OC.
1996: 4 OL made the Pro Bowl (only LT Mark Tuinei didn't). Larry Allen and Erik Williams made All Pro.

So is saying he’s 5th best a nice way of saying he’s our worst? Asking for a friend.

 

[jrumann59]

So is saying he’s 5th best a nice way of saying he’s our worst? Asking for a friend.

worst starter, most teams will have 8-9 Ol on the roster.

 

[Beaker42]

worst starter, most teams will have 8-9 Ol on the roster.

Thanks, was doing too many things and left our starter after worst. Connor’s OK but he’s not going to last long if he doesn’t start moving his feet.

 

[jrumann59]

Thanks, was doing too many things and left our starter after worst. Connor’s OK but he’s not going to last long if he doesn’t start moving his feet.

He will be fine with the group around him. Mr. Collins had that same issue last season. Collins took 3 years and a position change to clean that up.

 

[VACowboy]

Williams better than Leary?

 

[xwalker]

Williams better than Leary?

Did you read the original post?

I never said CW was better than Leary.

 

[buybuydandavis]

2009: This lineup was good on their best days but Columbo missed 7 starts. Flozell & Bigg declining.

Come the playoffs against the Vikes, Davis was just awful. He couldn't move laterally. The Vikes were running stunts around him all day.

I think he was even benched briefly in 2010 for poor play. Came back playing better.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Lol I love Cwill, but saying he was is than Doug Free every year is just nonsense BS.

Hell Free wasn't even our worst OL in 2015. That honor belonged to La'el.

Free was very up and down. He had some good seasons for us, and some poor ones. Williams isn't better than the good ones. Not yet, anyway.

But again, CW is still only 22.

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

Free was very up and down. He had some good seasons for us, and some poor ones. Williams isn't better than the good ones. Not yet, anyway.

But again, CW is still only 22.

I think Cwill has a very bright future

 

[Irvin88_4life]

Great post and well thought out. Put a lot of time into it. But one question is how many SB's did we win during that same time span?

How many did "Romo number one" won?

 

[VACowboy]

Did you read the original post?

I never said CW was better than Leary.

Wow, so defensive.

And yes, as a matter of fact I did read the original post. Did you read mine? I never said you said anything. You're right. You never said CW was better than Leary, which was why I asked.

 

[Stash]

Connor Williams has been the 5th best OLineman this season.

Connor Williams in 2019 has been better than the 5th best OLineman most years.

2019 Connor Williams as the "5th best OLineman":
2018: Better in 2019 than himself or Su'a-Filo in 2018.
2017: Better than J.Cooper or C.Green.
2016: Better than Doug Free (Free allowed 9 sacks).
2015: Better than Doug Free.
2014: (Tyron, Leary, Frederick, Martin)
- With Parnell at RT for 7 games: Maybe the best lineup since 1996.
- With Doug Free at RT: I'll take Connor Williams at LG over Free at RT.
2013: Better than Bernadeau.
2012: Better than Livings, Cook or Bernadeau.
2011: Better than Holland or Costa.
2010: Better than Doug Free at Left Tackle (Yikes, Free at LT).
2009: This lineup was good on their best days but Columbo missed 7 starts. Flozell & Bigg declining.
2008: Better than Cory Proctor at LG.
2007: Solid Lineup this year with Flozell, Kosier, Gurode, Bigg, Columbo.
2006: Marco Rivera at RG. Back injury in Spring of 2005. Never very good with Cowboys.
2005: Torrin Tucker and Rob Petitti playing OT was a low point.
2004: Torrin Tucker at OT.
2003: Matt Lehr at Center.
2002: Soloman Page at OT. Tyson Walter at OC.
2001: Soloman Page at OT. Kelvin Garmin at OG.
2000: Soloman Page at OG.
1999: Everett McIver at OC.
1998: Clay Shiver at OC.
1997: Clay Shiver at OC.
1996: 4 OL made the Pro Bowl (only LT Mark Tuinei didn't). Larry Allen and Erik Williams made All Pro.

He's not better than Cooper was in 2017.

 

[jrumann59]

Come the playoffs against the Vikes, Davis was just awful. He couldn't move laterally. The Vikes were running stunts around him all day.

I think he was even benched briefly in 2010 for poor play. Came back playing better.

That was Colombo, following season Free was the starter at RT.

 

[jrumann59]

He's not better than Cooper was in 2017.

Cooper was slightly better, it was not like Cooper was All-Pro he was good for a journeyman. Cwill is starting his career i believe Coopers career is pretty much done.

 

[blueblood70]

with Martins health issues Xavier will be occupied and McGovern is raw and unproved..

So Cwill wont be sat down, get Over it, move on, and yes we are spoiled... complaining all rookie year and off season and now about a young Olinemen who is working hard to get better is just a waste of time.

he is not liability or the coaches would pull him given they have some depth and choices NOt like the chaz green debacle where chaz and the 3rd string guy were all terrible..Cwill is not green lol we have depth because of 2017 and that stretch of horrible games without a backup for Tsmith or zeke..

 

[Stash]

Cooper was slightly better, it was not like Cooper was All-Pro he was good for a journeyman. Cwill is starting his career i believe Coopers career is pretty much done.

I’m just stating the obvious. Cooper was better in 2017 than Williams has been to this point. Nothing more.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Interesting spin job....

many years we had a TERRIBLE oline where our best guy was mr. false start Flozell

Yea, I’d say it’s largely irrelevant who was the 5th best Olinemen was. Even if it was relevant, who’s to say Corey Proctor wouldn’t have been better playing between Tyron Smith and Travis Frederick.

To me, Connor Williams is the 5th best linemen on the team, so he starts. In the off-season, we may revisit that.

 

[xwalker]

Free was very up and down. He had some good seasons for us, and some poor ones. Williams isn't better than the good ones. Not yet, anyway.

But again, CW is still only 22.

I've spent more time reviewing Doug Free than any Cowboys player ever.

I had a fascination with why he could not perform better.

The Doug Free Saga

• He was big (6-6, 325) and had quick feet with decent arm length.
• Exactly the things an OL coach looks for in an OT.
• It was therefore odd that he got worse the more he played, not better.
• In 2009 he had about 7 starts at RT when Columbo missed those games and he was decent.
• In 2010 they put him at LT and again he was OK.
• In 2011 they kept him at LT and had rookie Tyron Smith start at RT.
• The problems all started in game 2 of 2011 against the 49ers.
• Veteran 3-4 DE Justin Smith exposed Free's weakness and it was a big weakness.
• Smith figured out that Free had literally no ability to resist if the defender got their arms under his and pushed up.
• Smith would just repeat that move of starting with his hands low and thrust upwards then just run over or around Free.
• After that game other teams saw the film and Free was toast at LT.
• In 2012 Bill Callahan was hired as the OL coach and was going to replace free with the backup but Garrett refused.
• Free went through various technique changes in an attempt to resolve his issues but some of the changes made things worse.
• The primary change was that Free would keep his hands low to prevent defenders from getting under him.
• The problem is that if an OL starts with their hands too low they're exposed and lose leverage against defenders.
• Free also had to keep his elbows in to his sides which limited this odd upper body weakness that had been exposed by Justin Smith.
• The end result was that Free managed as long as he kept his elbows in and kept his hands low but not too low.
• The biggest problem with that is that it's like an OT with extremely short arms.
• Free was big with quick feet. As long as he could keep his body directly in front of pass rushers he was OK.
• The problem was that he had no ability to reach out and stop or even slow down pass rushers by extending his arms out to the side.
• A low-light for Free was in 2012 in a game against Tampa Bay. Then unknown DE Michael Bennett looked like a Super Star by abusing Free.
• Bennett had a Bull-rush on Free that somebody made into a Gif that was posted often back then because Free looks so silly.
• Garrett had refused to let Callahan bench Free during the 2012 season; however, Callahan had Jerry's ear.
• Jerry forced them to compromise and for the final 4 games that season Free and his backup Jermey Parnell rotated series.
• At the end of 2012 it appeared that Parnell might replace Free for 2013 but Parnell was injured and missed most or all of training camp.
• Jerry promoted Callahan to play caller for the 2013 season despite objections from Garrett.
  • Note: In 2014 Garrett "demanded" that Callahan not call the plays.
  • Jerry said OK but that the play caller could not be Garrett himself.
  • Garrett was allowed to hire Linehan to call plays.
• The Cowboys signed veteran OG Brian Waters in 2013.
• Waters played RG and started aligning closer to RT (further from OC).
• This small change in alignment ( about 6 inches) helped Free because it made it difficult for DEs to rush inside of Free.
  • Note: I imported screenshots of the OL into a CAD program to measure the OL spacing.
• The change allowed Free to over-set to the outside which is an advantage for OTs against outside pass rushers.
• They continued shading the RG towards the RT when Zack Martin became the RG in 2014.
• Frederick at OC would focus on help blocking right which allowed Martin to give Free as much help as possible.
• Leary was at LG and often on an island similar to an OT because Frederick was most often help blocking to the right.
• Normally teams have the OC help the less talented OG but Frederick continued to focus on helping right.
• The Cowboys continued with Frederick focused on helping right despite having an All-Pro RG.
• The "Help Free" scheme meant the LG didn't get much help.
• When La'el Collins started 11 games at LG as a rookie, he didn't get much help from the OC despite an All-Pro RG.
• If you recall La'el or Leary getting beat at LG, much of the blame should go to Doug Free.
  • Side note, in 2017 poor ole La'el didn't get the same help when he moved to RT.
  • At that point they had Frederick focus on helping the LG.
• During the 2014 season Doug Free was injured and Parnell played 7 games including the 2 playoff games.
• Parnell allowed a total of 1 sack in those 7 games.
• They were able to run with power run blocking to the right which they had avoided with Free at RT.
• They averaged running behind RT 3x more in the games with the Parnell at RT OT than with Free that season.
• Parnell departed after 2014 for a 32M contract with Jaxonville.

By 2017 Parnell was in the AFC Championship game and his team was the league leader in rushing.

Meanwhile Free was out of the league in 2017 after giving up 9 sacks in 2016.

 

[xwalker]

Cooper was slightly better, it was not like Cooper was All-Pro he was good for a journeyman. Cwill is starting his career i believe Coopers career is pretty much done.

Chaz Green started the first 3 games that season at LG.

Cooper was with the team the entire off-season but they started Green over him to begin the season.

Green was injured in game 3. Cooper was the injury replacement starter for game 4 at LG.

Once Green recovered they decided they needed Green at OT which resulted in the infamous game in Atlanta where Green started at LT.

Cooper in 2017 was on the level of Su'a-Filo in 2018.

XSF was better than Connor Williams had been early in the 2018 season; however, by the playoffs CW was better than XSF.

Aaron Donald lined up against CW on most snaps in the Cowboys-Rams playoff game.

Donald had zero sacks and zero QB hits which has only happened twice in his career.