Twitter: Cowboys cutdown to 53 thread *Post #1 Updated* ***Merged***

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Dunbar and Randall always look better in training camp. What have they ever done in the regular season to bring such loyalty?

 

[Alexander]

For as much as Garrett mentions competition, too often jobs are given away without any competition.

This is a big part of this team's problem.

 

[starfrombirth]

Byrd outplayed Street, and they played against the same guys on the other teams. Byrd outperformed Street and it wasn't even close. Not only did Byrd make more plays, he is bigger, stronger, faster, separates better and has better hands. Just because Street was a Cowboys draft pick, he should be kept??

Bishop should have been waived and placed on PS or cut Hayden and develop Bishop. McClain, Hayden, Bishop are all 1 techs on a team that schemes for the 3 tech to be the playmaker. Cowboys have the exact same number of true 3 techs on the roster and one is injured and may not be 100% this season. There are trash cans full of dirt on every team's scrap heap, why was it so important for us to keep THREE?? 3 mediocre ones no less.

Unless you're a talent rich team (like the seahawks) your going to give your 5th rnd pick the benefit of the doubt for at least 1 year unless he is truly awful and Street wasn't awful. I wish we could have kept Byrd as well but again we are talking about a spot that isn't going to see the field unless there is an injury or 2. Maybe we can bring him back. I'm all for giving someone a chance who has worked his but off and performed.

I agree we shouldn't have kept Hayden and I don't think you'll get much of an argument from anybody on this board but who was cut that was better than him? Bush, Rayford, Boatright?? They play different positions or weren't better, sad as that is to say. I'm not sure what you're seeing to think Bishop doesn't deserve to be on the 53. He got blown off the ball with DOUBLE teams a couple of times but he developed every game and better and better. He was holding the point of attack and penetrating nearly every play. I would venture that he would be in the Rotation at the 3 tech if something happens to Melton or Coleman.

 

[gimmesix]

Like Randle was " shooting through holes, dancing through tackles and darting all over the field for gobs and gobs of yards".
He played better than what he showed last year in the first game then all I saw was the same average RB I saw last year.

It's too bad Williams didn't get to play with the startling OL. The guy still runs hard and can cut in traffic like the best of them.

My untrained eye just didn't see much of a difference in what they accomplished this summer, except that Randle showed he can play special teams.

Maybe with more time Williams would have showed he was as indispensable as you and some others believe him to be. I would have liked to have seen him given a half in that final game to win everyone over, but injury kept that from happening ... and maybe that's ultimately why he was cut.

 

[Fredd]

so, here are my takes on the 53 (trying to spin in a positive direction)

* FB over another RB - having a FB in the game along with what is supposed to be a stronger OL (especially on the left side) is huge...that tells me that the run game is going to be more important...as long as Murray can shoulder the load, then the FB position is needed
* 3rd QB - not sure of the reason for this just yet since the cowboys don't typically carry 3...so, it is either that they need a safeguard against potential trouble if tony gets hurt, or they knew this kid would get picked up by someone and didn't want to put him out there...I will go with the latter
* WR - only 5 and that is just fine for me; they kept the right 5; I likely keep one of the guys that got dumped over an extra OT, but that's why they get paid to make those decisions (and not me)
* OT - a little surprised that they kept 5 OT, but not overwhelmed by it...perhaps the extra OT's can also swing inside if needed?
* LB - that group just scares the snot out of me...I hope they show up ready to do their part
* DB - love that Patmon made the team (certainly deserved it) as well as Dixon; Thomas is a bit of a head scratcher for me, but I assume he will be more ST...they grabbed him as a CB and moved him to safety, right?

It will be interesting to see which of the current 53 get dumped once the injured & suspended guys start to filter back in....

 

[gimmesix]

He's not all that good so if they plan on making a FB a big part of the offense then they should actually look for a guy who can fulfill those responsibilities.

Not a guy who Broaddus tagged as a "50-50 blocker" just 2 days ago. You can get that from either Hannah or hopefully Escobar by now, either of which should be on the field over a FB anyway.

If he doesn't get any better they'll have to change their plan. It's not like going without a FB would be unheard of, and if their hearts were set on a FB I still think they could have kept Williams in other ways.

I'm sure Dallas would have replaced Clutts if Copeland or even one of the blocking tight ends had proven to be better. The Cowboys were always going to keep four tight ends or three tight ends and a fullback because of the packages they run. Clutts was the best of the bunch for the No. 4 spot. That's not a ringing endorsement, but it's the reality of the situation.

I'd love for them to get a better fullback, but it is what it is.

 

[gimmesix]

For as much as Garrett mentions competition, too often jobs are given away without any competition. Take Weems and McClain, neither played many snaps, if any at all, throughout camp yet both made the cut. Dunbar didn't show anything in the few plays he played, yet he was given the star treatment and sat out most pre-season games. Randle didn't show much, or at least not as much as Williams running the ball, but he was a draft pick, so he stays. You can go on and on, Parnell, Heath, Claiborne, and not one of them showed enough to make the team, yet here they are. It was a shocker that Webb was released without the obligatory 3 year grace period afforded other draft picks such as Arkin, Johnson, Stanback and Jason Williams.

In order to make earning jobs based on competition, you've got to have competition.

Webb was released because he was outplayed by Patmon. Nwaneri lost a spot to either Wetzel or Weems because he didn't play well enough. Despite being a draft pick, Mitchell didn't play well enough to earn a spot.

Others had a chance to prove indispensable and steal a roster spot, but it just didn't happen. I don't see anyone who was cut where you absolutely can say we had to have that guy based on his play.

 

[Zman5]

Williams was never competing with Lance Dunbar. You have to let that go. Dunbar is on this team because he's a playmaker in space. He wasn't a cut-down consideration.

Randle is better than Williams in both passpro and in ST coverage. If you're a back-roster RB, you have to play teams better than Williams can, or else you get cut because they can't use you on game day.

We know this, people. It's a similar discussion every year. You rarely go four-deep at a position where you can routinely find a walk-on starter in the second or third round.

I know Williams was a not in a direct competition with Lance Dunbar. My post was about how some are concerned about Williams' pass protection skills yet they are not with Dunbar's skill.

And Randle is the 2nd RB. 2nd RB's running back skills should be more important than his ST skills. Especially on a team that has the starting RB that is often injured and out for few games a year.

We did carry 4 RB on the roster last year.

 

[Tawney88]

Randall, okay, there's an argument there. But Dunbar? C'mon, man. He's a satellite player, sure, but he's can open up a game.

51 career carries 225 career rushing yards and 0 Tds, along with 13 career rec for 92 yrds and 0 Tds. How exactly has he opened up games? Maybe it's not all his fault and we don't use him enough. But I fail to see how he is indispensable or special.