Do the Cowboys have the 2nd best roster in the NFC?

[Daktozekecoop]

I think we have the best, most balanced team in the NFL. We are young and really good. I think we were tired against the Rams. Getting Cooper when we did after such a bad start to the season meant every game became a virtual must win. That caught up with us, especially the defense, that had been lights out up till just the week before. I like the way the defense is coached. If we can get a considerably less predictable approach to offense, then I think we are playing late into the season for half a decade at least with this team. The 90's team was simple but not predictable. So we don't have to suddenly be something we are not, but tighten what we do well, and learn to throw teams off balance with our approach. Then we are golden.

 

[WillieBeamen]

No


We are weak at:
QB
TE
LG
DT
S

We are average at:
RT
CB


We are good at:
LT
LB
WR
C
DE

We are elite at:
RB
RG

 

[Pompey-Cowboy]

Dallas has a roster that can beat any NFL team, anywhere on any given weekend. Quite how you rank that is anyone's guess.

 

[Sarge]

The Lions beat the Patriots.

 

[Diehardblues]

We have very good, almost elite, and elite players in almost all of the skill positions.

O Line - Martin, TFred (when healthy), Smith
RB - Zeke
WR - Cooper

D Line - Dlaw, Gregory
LB - LVE, Lee, Smith
DB - Jones

Those are all top 10-15 guys at their respective positions.

I’m sorry but a competent OC could really turn this offense around like how the defense surprised us this year. This is a legit roster.

The defense wasn’t really a huge surprise. Many of us felt going if Gregory and Jaylon met their potential along with Van Esch and our secondary continuing where they finished last year the defense , DL, LB’s and secondary could carry our offense especially with the loss of Witten and Dez who’d have an impact which many others dismissed the effect that loss would have.

Again, it’s usually about the talent .

The only thing we didn’t predict is bringing in Cooper at mid season which uplifted the offense propelling us to a division title and the payoffs.

Most of us saw this year with 8 or 9 wins probably missing the playoffs while the defense could be a force our offense would take a step back even with Zeke the leading rusher again.

 

[Diehardblues]

The Lions beat the Patriots.

Right!!

Which is just another example “ On Any Given Sunday” still applies and it’s always about the culmination of a season.

In our case it was on a Thursday night. But that’s not who we were or even who our defense was for 16 games. As improved as it was.

Were we the 3-5 or the 10-6 team. Fans must be able to take a step back and evaluate the season as a whole when coming up with these final team analysis.

 

[Diehardblues]

I think at the end of the season we were about where we finished. 3-4 th best team in NFC. I would have hated to have to beat the Eagles the way they were playing at the end of the season.

And in AFC, we’d just recently been shut out by Colts and I certainly wouldnt have taken us to go to KC or NE to win a game. Maybe Chargers?

So, then that places us about 4th or 5th in AFC. In the end about 7th or 8th in the league is where we were at the end of the season. Nothing wrong with that especially with a 15th ranked QB and 22nd ranked offense.

 

[Idgit]

I am confused Idgit. You liked the OP's post that we have the 2nd best roster in the NFC, but yet you constantly tell me that Garrett should not be held accountable for lack of playoff success because our talent level is not that good.

In fact, I think your exact words in another posts were "we are a good organization at talent acquisition, but not great, and that is why the results have been good, but not great".

But now you seem to think this roster is top 2?

Then shouldn't this coaching staff have more results to show for it?

I’m not sure we had a top 2 roster. We’re not better than the Saints, for example. I just liked the good, positive post and the anxiety I knew it was going to create.

That said, we do have a good roster. Just not as good as the Rams’ roster. And they beat us. Pretty simple.

The same goes for Garrett’s other playoff losses. The GB teams had comparable rosters. We probably had a better team than they did in 2016, they were better in 2014. In both cases it was close. They were a tough matchup for us, there were a couple of dicey calls that went their way, and we lost both toss-up games.

Players, coaching, matchups, luck. And I guess I need to throw in officiating now, which sucks. These are the things HS that get playoff teams beat. It’s not always “the best coach wins” as some seem to think around here. In fact it’s hardly ever that.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

We have very good, almost elite, and elite players in almost all of the skill positions.

O Line - Martin, TFred (when healthy), Smith
RB - Zeke
WR - Cooper

D Line - Dlaw, Gregory
LB - LVE, Lee, Smith
DB - Jones

Those are all top 10-15 guys at their respective positions.

I’m sorry but a competent OC could really turn this offense around like how the defense surprised us this year. This is a legit roster.

Randy Gregory is a top 10-15 DE? He’s a backup on the Cowboys....

 

[Aven8]

Coaching is what empowers a roster. Talent alone doesn’t win championships.

Barry Switzer is the lone exception I can think of in the last 25 years where great coaching wasn’t the key to winning a SB. But those mid 90s Cowboys teams had a huge talent advantage that since the salary cap is almost impossible to have.

Switzer here was a goon, but that dude could actually coach back in the day. He wasn’t merely a figure.

 

[Pantone282C]

Since the Rams, eliminated the Cowboys, and Dallas beat the Saints in the regular season, does this make Dallas the 2nd best team in the NFC?

The Cowboys are young and have cap space to keep top talent on the roster and possibly add a playmaker in the offseason. Dallas has a very bright future.

Meanwhile the Rams, were built through free agency and there window appears to close next Sunday. I see them taking a step or two back next year.

Top 10 at the very least; once the game planning "evolved," our roster looked better, n'est pas? Like about top 5. Rams and Colts made us look ordinary, but that is on preparation.

 

[75boyz]

No


We are weak at:
QB
TE
LG
DT
S

We are average at:
RT
CB


We are good at:
LT
LB
WR
C
DE

We are elite at:
RB
RG

Your perfect choices of weak, average, good and elite align exactly with my positional opinions as well.
Really nice job.

 

[Pantone282C]

Switzer here was a goon, but that dude could actually coach back in the day. He wasn’t merely a figure.

Didn't like him as a Dallas HC, but he was good at Oklahoma. Can't believe he was here for four seasons.