Crawford: "This D-line is going to shock the nation"

[jobberone]

It's their job to have belief. It's our job to have hope.

I like simple esp in a Zen way.

Of course a whop upside the head can be an effective tool.

 

[Risen Star]

Its a fan's job to have hope?

I thought a fan rooted for a team regardless of success. I wasn't aware it was his duty to be optimistic every year no matter what the roster looks like.

 

[starfrombirth]

I have no problem with what he said. His excitement makes me feel better.

 

[burmafrd]

Its a fan's job to have hope?

I thought a fan rooted for a team regardless of success. I wasn't aware it was his duty to be optimistic every year no matter what the roster looks like.

A real fan see's the whole team warts and all and still roots for them.

 

[Stash]

Its a fan's job to have hope?

I thought a fan rooted for a team regardless of success. I wasn't aware it was his duty to be optimistic every year no matter what the roster looks like.

I think some people have misinterpretations of the requirements of fandom.

I believe it to be highly subjective with no clear cut right or wrong way of doing it.

 

[cml750]

Crawford needs to learn that actions speak louder than words.

 

[visionary]

If you hinge your response on part of one sentence out of an entire interview then it is not unreasonable to react negatively. It's just unreasonable to make your reaction rest on that one part and not moderate it with his entire conversation.

Many people would react to just that one comment with encouragement rather than annoyed, bored, dissenting disbelief or disdain. Depends on your outlook.

Fool me once..... Fool me twice..... Fool me thrice...... At some point most reasonable people learn to take what these players say with a bucket of salt

It is the same every year
This team talks a good game but falls flat on its face in crunch time

They are a reflection of their HC

Don't tell me
Show me

 

[jobberone]

Fool me once..... Fool me twice..... Fool me thrice...... At some point most reasonable people learn to take what these players say with a bucket of salt

It is the same every year
This team talks a good game but falls flat on its face in crunch time

They are a reflection of their HC

Don't tell me
Show me

I understand the frustration but every team is different every year; although you can't ignore the past record either when assessing why you aren't meeting your goals. I think the organization is adapting and evolving. If it's not fast enough for you then I understand that, too. Think about the older fans who are hoping to be around to actually see another SB. I think there is a sense of urgency within the organization.

 

[Supercowboy1986]

Talk is cheap but it's a good thing to be confident. So I have no problems with this . The mental aspect of this game is pretty underrated in my opinion.

 

[Cowboy06]

I don't know about that. Selfie was on the street last year before we signed him. Melton hasn't seen the field since injury. Crawford hasn't seen the starting line up at all and Dlaw is a rookie. Honestly, I can't name a more unproven line than this right now. If the DL stays healthy they will improve by default. I will be ecstatic if they can be average instead of being bottom dwellers.

I couldn't agree more. To play devil's advocate, sometimes when you don't know what you are, you can be better than you should.

 

[Zordon]

Crawford needs to learn that actions speak louder than words.

The guy is supposedly one of the hardest workers on the team. Mickey and Broaddus vouched for him, saying he was at VR working tirelessly during his rehab.

These athletes aren't robots, we can't just tell to them to shut up and play like they don't have human emotions and opinions.

 

[visionary]

I understand the frustration but every team is different every year; although you can't ignore the past record either when assessing why you aren't meeting your goals. I think the organization is adapting and evolving. If it's not fast enough for you then I understand that, too. Think about the older fans who are hoping to be around to actually see another SB. I think there is a sense of urgency within the organization.

I agree
Melton said something very similar but I had no problem with what he said
Maybe Crawford is just young and excited

 

[jobberone]

I couldn't agree more. To play devil's advocate, sometimes when you don't know what you are, you can be better than you should.

Words of wisdom.

 

[Bluestang]

I agree with the talk is cheap folks....this unit doesn't have anyone that a def coordinator would be game planning for at this very moment. The lack of a household name right now is what makes this group of men look like a bunch of "Joes" on paper. Melton is coming off a major injury and is reportedly behind on his rehab schedule - which why he didn't get a big long term deal from any other team and we gave him a 1 yr "prove it" deal. Spencer is a complete non-factor and he may not even get the choice to play football again if his rehab doesn't go well. Crawford is another unknown coming off a major injury too. And the other guys are just a bunch of castoffs from other teams that we picked up in the "garbage bin" aisle of FA.

However, I also look forward to seeing what this unit can do if Melton is healthy and returns to pro-bowl form, Crawford breaks out, and Lawrence is the real deal. Mincey and McClain as solid contributors and we have something going here. Selvie is somewhat of enigma, he did surprisingly well to begin with, but IIRC he got slowed by injury but if he can be better than last year this unit will really surprise people. The point is that Marinelli is right about elevating someone to have a career year. I actually like the situation that the DL is in right now, there is no one set of starters and every spot is wide open on the line. Not to bash on Ware or Spencer, but if they were still here those two would be your starters and not one of those younger guys is going to unseat them no matter how good they are. This committee approach is how Seattle dominated other teams, it's how Marinelli envisions this unit to be. Time will tell, but I'm still skeptical of what they truly are.

On a side note, I highlighted Crawford's play during his rookie season, because he showed flashes of quickness and being able to take on two defenders and collapse the pocket. He has an uncanny show of brute strength. His rookie year he had to learn how to use his hands but I hope his time in the film room from last year has helped him understand the mental aspect of the game.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

I think some people have misinterpretations of the requirements of fandom.

I believe it to be highly subjective with no clear cut right or wrong way of doing it.

There are no requirements to fandom.

If there were though, what should they be? Don't undermine your team?

 

[Idgit]

There are no requirements to fandom.

If there were though, what should they be? Don't undermine your team?

It's never about criticism, it's about how the criticism is expressed. And it's not about fandom, it's about complaining instead of constructively being critical.

For some reason that defies logic, complaining is identified with realism on sports message boards. I think it's because a general population is willing to confuse emotion with reason because emotion is louder and easier to understand.

But our best, most reasonable posters, in my opinion, make excellent and critical arguments to support their critiques. And there's a lot about the Cowboys that bears criticizing.

 

[Stash]

There are no requirements to fandom.

If there were though, what should they be? Don't undermine your team?

I wouldn't want to think about it.

Placing any expectations or requirements on how someone else should handle their fandom is a clear-cut recipe for disaster.

And I think that most of the negative situations that occur around here are the result of one fan taking issue with how another fan views or reacts to a certain topic.

 

[DallasEast]

It's never about criticism, it's about how the criticism is expressed. And it's not about fandom, it's about complaining instead of constructively being critical.

For some reason that defies logic, complaining is identified with realism on sports message boards. I think it's because a general population is willing to confuse emotion with reason because emotion is louder and easier to understand.

But our best, most reasonable posters, in my opinion, make excellent and critical arguments to support their critiques. And there's a lot about the Cowboys that bears criticizing.

Good post. You do know there is a high probability it will be (purposefully) misconstrued?

 

[Idgit]

Good post. You do know there is a high probability it will be (purposefully) misconstrued?

You're suggesting an emotional backlash could be forthcoming?

 

[Alexander]

I think some people have misinterpretations of the requirements of fandom.

I believe it to be highly subjective with no clear cut right or wrong way of doing it.

Correct. To me it is unfair to question anyone's fandom which is why I will never do it and completely disrespect those that do that regularly.

I might not agree with someone's perception of the way things are, but it is extremely arrogant for anyone to presume how big of or "better of a fan" someone is by how they express themselves about the state of the team.