Cowboys Rated Best Offensive Line - Again

[YosemiteSam]

From Pro Football Focus

1. Dallas Cowboys (1st)
Pass-blocking rank: 1st

Run-blocking rank: 1st

Penalties rank: 32nd

Stud: With studs at three spots on the line, it was hard picking a No. 1 guy. But left tackle Tyron Smith, our second-ranked lineman on the year, is that guy, with a tremendous season that has become the norm for him.

Dud: He was far from disappointing, but rookie La’el Collins was the weakest link on this line, simply by not being as good as the other guys on it.

Summary: That’s two years in a row atop our rankings for the Cowboys, who have reaped the rewards on their heavy investment in talent with first-round picks. All three of their former top picks graded in the top three at their respective positions, and even the less-heralded members were hardly poor.

The Cowboys are our top offensive line for the second year in a row, and the truth is, it wasn’t even close.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/01/20/pro-ranking-all-32-offensive-lines-this-season/

What?!??!? Tap the brakes!

https://lh3.***BROKEN***/-nPl5urV60kQ/VqGcoX57JSI/AAAAAAAErFc/S_-Lz_C_xpI/s346/17AY9.gif

 

[ConstantReboot]

90's Cowboys telegraphed plays all the time too, especially on 3rd and 1.

90s team? Seriously? WE are not the team of the 90s anymore. Garrett needs to realize that. Some fans need to realize that too.

Garrett's style of coaching is killing this team. His style is stuck in the 90s and fails to ADAPT to the changes of the league. His coaching style is INSANITY. When we try the same plays over and over and expecting different results.

Thats why we were last in 3rd and 1 conversion. Thats a problem with coaching. Not the players.

 

[sideon]

Great OL, no question about it......and when you are THAT good, there is no good excuse to finish 4-12.

Yes there is, Doesn't matter how talented you are up front if you don't have a capable HC, QB, WR to run plays.

 

[Nova]

Ya, but I think if he was more polished ( like say a Joe Thomas or Jake Long when they came out )at that point I think he would have been drafted higher, at least top 5. Due to position value he may have gone ahead of Green/ Jones and Peterson

Maybe. It's an interesting thought.

His age was also probably an issue. Wasn't he 19? I know he was the youngest player in the league.

Most probably thought since he wasn't polished that they would spend 5 years molding him into an elite player and then lose him in FA.

That draft was ridiculous

 

[billsboys]

90's Cowboys telegraphed plays all the time too, especially on 3rd and 1.

And Phily stopped them on 3rd and 1 then 4th and 1 on consecutive plays.

 

[noshame]

The execution of the play action pass is one of the things that separated the 90s teams with this one. In the 90s you might have been sure what was coming on 3rd and short 75% of the time, but the minute you banked on it, boom, you were toast.

 

[Kevinicus]

Puff piece?

Pro Football Focus bases their rankings on....math.

Fact is, we turned a running back that was widely considered a bust into a pro bowl caliber back to go along with giving up the least amount of hurries in the NFL.

Doug Free was pretty bad early in the season but seemingly, I don't recall cursing him once as the season progressed. The math backs that up.

Well, their scores are based on...nobody knows (or understands). But their rankings are based on the math of comparing those scores I guess.

Definitely not a puff piece though. Not like this is a Spagnola article.

 

[khiladi]

First the OL was sucking in 2015 because Callahan was gone. Now PFF has rated the Dallas OL the best in the league (and it wasn't even close) and the logic is that the Cowboys have the best OL in the league because of Callahan and despite Jerry? Alrighty, then.

Fred came out of Wisconsin where he played in the epitome of man-blocking offenses. He was widely regarded as a powerful technician who lacked athleticism and quickness. Not exactly your quintessential zone-blocking lineman.

And I love the way some people rationalize stuff, like... You can't credit Jerry with Tyrone Smith or Zach Martin. They were just the best players on the board. Or... Take out five games. Look what a crappy season McFadden had!



Callahan is probably the best OL coach in the league. He did a spectacular job in Dallas and has turned the Washington OL around. He certainly deserves credit for a good job coaching his position and helping bring offensive success to DC. But lets not get carried away. Gruden is the guy who designed the plays, chose Cousins as his starter and coached him. Cousins was only sacked 27 times, and the OL is a major part of that, but offensive scheme, play calling and the quarterback himself play significant roles in that as well. Irony of ironies, Washington averaged 3.7 yards a rush, good for third worst in the league. The Cowboys went 4.6 per, 6th best, with zero passing game.



Yeah. Too funny. I think it says a lot about Murray too.

If I liked your post in this thread, I would have liked it 100 more times if I coulda.

Who said the OL was sucking in 2015? Who said play-calling doesn't impact OL play either?

What's your point?

I'm not talking about Jerry and in fact I said, it was probably because of influence from Callahan and shift when in that direction. Just like Jerry squashed the Sharif pick based on his coach Marinelli, it's clear he had the ear of Callahan as far as OL is concerned.

Callahan worked Fred out. Callahan coached at Wisconsin prior and Callahan watched Wisconsin. So basically, Callahan wanted Frederick and thought he'd be a perfect fit.

http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/2000211-sports-and-racing-nfl/66202953/744403684

"We're talking about a smart player, here -- he is, after all, about to earn an engineering degree after just three years. Cowboys offensive coordinator and line coach Bill Callahan told me that, when he went to work Frederick out before the draft, he put 23 protections up on a board for him to learn, just in case Dallas ended up taking him. Last week, Callahan asked Frederick to draw the 23 protections -- and he was perfect."

As far as the Commanders, Gruden was there last year 'calling plays'. The OL was horrible in pass protection and Cousins was playing. And the passing game was run by McVay this year. Gruden essentially was running a coach by committee philosophy.

So we need a better coach and play-caller.. You won't find me arguing against that point.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Who said the OL was sucking in 2015? Who said play-calling doesn't impact OL play either?

What's your point? Gruden was there last year. The OL was horrible in pass protection and Cousins was playing.
And the passing game was run by
McVay.

So we need a better coach and play-caller.. You won't find me arguing against that point.

Also need better wide receivers not named Dez Bryant.

 

[DallasEast]

90s team? Seriously? WE are not the team of the 90s anymore. Garrett needs to realize that. Some fans need to realize that too.

Garrett's style of coaching is killing this team. His style is stuck in the 90s and fails to ADAPT to the changes of the league. His coaching style is INSANITY. When we try the same plays over and over and expecting different results.

Thats why we were last in 3rd and 1 conversion. Thats a problem with coaching. Not the players.

It's a bit of both. Coaching, that's not adaptive enough adjusting to opponent's strengths and weaknesses in-game, and players, who cannot consistently execute their position assignments for four quarters. The funny thing is that one single player, Romo, seems capable of making coaching look more functional and teammates (both on offense and defense) perform better when he's not hurt.

 

[khiladi]

What other first round OL bust did we choose?

We started to address the OL once Garrett became HC. FACT.

Give me a source that Callahan was the reason we drafted Fred and Martin. Here's your thinking: We chose Martin and Fred, we Callahan, must have been Callahan! Correlation is not causation.

We also went hard for Collins in FA, remember that? I guess Callahan was giving us advice from Washington.

Houck was Garrett's pick to coach the line. We picked plenty of SCRUBS during Garrett's control of the offense, with Houck his hand-picked coach. We even picked WR at 1 to get Dez for Garrett. Garrett NEVER in his life played or coached under a zone-blocking scheme.

The year they first got Callahan, they actually tried getting Tony Sparano, who was here in 2007z

In 2012, when Garrett was HC he picked Mo Claiborne, wasting two picks. They didn't draft a SINGLE OL. The next year they had Floyd on the board as their pick and Jerry over-rules last minute and went Frederik. And the next year they had three players before Miller, all defense.

So no, your wrong when you credit this as part of Garrett's 'process'.

Further, I didn't say first round busts. I said busts as an scrubs.. We picked PLENTY of flops. So now that you could only conceive of Smith prior to Callahan, you've tried taking credit Garrett for Collins.. lmao!!!

And Collins picked us out of 31 teams because of Jerry. We didn't draft him.. That's your examples.. Laughable...

 

[khiladi]

Gotta disagree with some of this, for starters, they were not hampered by injuries and were not starting 4 first round linemen, because Moses was a second round pick and Long was a third rounder. Shaun Lauvao went down early in the season, but Spencer Long, who was a third rounder in 2014, played at roughly the same level. Willing to bet, that Lauvao does not regain his starting job back next year. Lichtenstieger was the big injury that they could not replace, but the other linemen pretty much played every game.

I live in DC as well and again, Callahan deserves a ton of credit for his ability to coach up talented players, which is what he did in Washington as well. Trent Williams (14 starts) was already a perennial pro-bowler and Brandon Scherff (16 starts) was the 5th pick and thus should have been a very good guard. Korey Lichtenstiger was already a very good center, but was limited to 5 games. The big improvement was Morgan Mosses (16 starts) and Spencer Long who were a rookies last season and similar to here, Callahan got the most out of them.

Apologies, meant to say starting four first year lineman if I remember correctly try by the end of the season. I think AikmN mentioned that, which is why I said I wasn't sure. I know they were young, and Lictensteiger got injured and was saved for the play-offs. I know when they started the season they had shifted a second year OL and started a rookie.

The point being, Callahan knows what he's doing.

 

[mattjames2010]

I didn't say first round busts. I said busts as an scrubs.. We picked PLENTY of flops. So now that you could only conceive of Smith prior to Callahan, you've tried taking credit for Collins.. lmao!!!

And Collins picked us out of 31 teams because of Jerry.. That's your examples.. Laughable...

Yes? That's my example. It's just as valid as any. We didn't have to go after Collins since we had Leary, we did. Collins is looking to be worth it. Funny thing is, my example is far more valid than anything you have stated.

Are you going to link that Callahan is the reason for this great O-line or are you going to continue with your speculative ********? It's tiresome, really. Take your "I miss Callahan" crap to the NFL Zone or Rant Zone. You're providing nothing.

 

[Manwiththeplan]

Apologies, meant to say starting four first year lineman if I remember correctly try by the end of the season. I think AikmN mentioned that, which is why I said I wasn't sure. I know they were young, and Lictensteiger got injured and was saved for the play-offs. I know when they started the season they had shifted a second year OL and started a rookie.

The point being, Callahan knows what he's doing.

yea, it was four first year starters.

 

[khiladi]

Yes? That's my example. It's just as valid as any. We didn't have to go after Collins since we had Leary, we did. Collins is looking to be worth it. Funny thing is, my example is far more valid than anything you have stated.

Are you going to link that Callahan is the reason for this great O-line or are you going to continue with your speculative bull****? It's tiresome, really. Take your "I miss Callahan" crap to the NFL Zone or Rant Zone. You're providing nothing.

Uh no, it's not as valid as any. We didn't draft him.

We didn't have to try and get Collins, nor did any of the other THIRTY teams. We got a first round player for peanuts, because he chose us because of JERRY..

Your examples are absurdly ridiculous.. How about saying Garrett is responsible for the line is not just speculative, is baseless and dumb..

 

[mattjames2010]

Uh no, it's not as valid as any. We didn't draft him.

We didn't have to try and get Collins, nor did any of the other THIRTY teams. We got a first round player for peanuts, because he chose us because of JERRY..

Your examples are absurdly ridiculous.. How about saying Garrett is responsible for the line is not just speculative, is baseless and dumb..

Again, we didn't have to go for Collins. Here's everything you wrote so far: It wasn't Garrett, all the decisions to draft or sign offensive lineman was because of Jerry and Garrett. Except for the offensive lineman that sucked, that was Garrett.

One last time: Are you going to provide a source to everyone on this board that Callahan was the reason we go Frederick and Martin in the first round? It wasn't our scouts doing our job well? Not McClay? It was because Callahan was in the room, and forced Jerry's hand in drafting them? Link it all together, tell me how it played out.

You can discuss their development and Callahan's influence on them. But other than that, you're grasping at straws. Another nitwit added to my blocklist. Stop spamming the boards with nonsense.

 

[gmoney112]

Houck was Garrett's pick to coach the line. We picked plenty of SCRUBS during Garrett's control of the offense, with Houck his hand-picked coach. We even picked WR at 1 to get Dez for Garrett. Garrett NEVER in his life played or coached under a zone-blocking scheme.

The year they first got Callahan, they actually tried getting Tony Sparano, who was here in 2007z

In 2012, when Garrett was HC he picked Mo Claiborne, wasting two picks. They didn't draft a SINGLE OL. The next year they had Floyd on the board as their pick and Jerry over-rules last minute and went Frederik. And the next year they had three players before Miller, all defense.

So no, your wrong when you credit this as part of Garrett's 'process'.

Further, I didn't say first round busts. I said busts as an scrubs.. We picked PLENTY of flops. So now that you could only conceive of Smith prior to Callahan, you've tried taking credit Garrett for Collins.. lmao!!!

And Collins picked us out of 31 teams because of Jerry. We didn't draft him.. That's your examples.. Laughable...

Miller? That's the 2nd or 3rd time you've called him that.

The fact you don't even know the name of the players we've drafted really tells most people what they need to know about your reasoning.

 

[KJJ]

From Pro Football Focus

1. Dallas Cowboys (1st)

Run-blocking rank: 1st

Which is why I wasn't impressed with McFadden's production especially only scoring 3 rushing TD's and contributing to the Cowboys being the worst team in the league on 3rd and one. Put an elite back behind this OL (because the back matters) and they'll produce 1500+ and double digit rushing TD's.

 

[LatinMind]

From Pro Football Focus

1. Dallas Cowboys (1st)
Pass-blocking rank: 1st

Run-blocking rank: 1st

Penalties rank: 32nd

Stud: With studs at three spots on the line, it was hard picking a No. 1 guy. But left tackle Tyron Smith, our second-ranked lineman on the year, is that guy, with a tremendous season that has become the norm for him.

Dud: He was far from disappointing, but rookie La’el Collins was the weakest link on this line, simply by not being as good as the other guys on it.

Summary: That’s two years in a row atop our rankings for the Cowboys, who have reaped the rewards on their heavy investment in talent with first-round picks. All three of their former top picks graded in the top three at their respective positions, and even the less-heralded members were hardly poor.

The Cowboys are our top offensive line for the second year in a row, and the truth is, it wasn’t even close.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/01/20/pro-ranking-all-32-offensive-lines-this-season/

I been saying it al yr its amazing what the OL was able to do after Romo went down because the QBs they had couldnt go squat. McFadden had holes you could run a elephant thru.

 

[DogFace]

PFF = Some fantasy football geek in the UK watching NFL Gamepass in his mom's basement.

Yeah, I'll pass.

You'll be missed