Do we need to address O-line next year?

[GimmeTheBall!]

I know this was a definite YES! last year, but we seemed to have turned this from a weakness to a strength. Obviously, Smith and Fred are our pillars for the next decade. Also, Free took a pay cut and played very well this year. Last but not least, our guards are surprisingly playing well too. Bern has really stepped up and has outplayed Waters. People forget he's young too. We brought him in here because he had starter potential and he may very well be proving us right. Leary was brought in in a low-risk, high-reward move. An undrafted free agent with degenerative knee issues. Well, he's been healthy and has been improving all season. We don't have much depth but Parnell can be a solid swing tackle, Costa is a solid backup center, and we could even bring Waters back for another year.

If we didn't have so many holes on defense, I would say let's still draft O-line early next year. But our defense is so bad that I think we need to spend EVERY draft pick and free agent acquisition on defense. I also think we're set on offense for at least next year in the personnel department. The only thing I think we could use is a RB, but I have faith that Murray can remain healthy and he still has a year left on his contract. The only thing I think our offense needs ASAP is a new coach/coordinator and play caller. I think we can afford to not address offense for a year for the sake of putting all our energy into improving our defense. What do you think?

Priorities. Yes we do need an infusion of O-line talent. But the defense and QB should take precedence.

Yes, dat's right, I wrote QB as well.

If we draft a competent QB prospect, he will need 2 years to sit and learn behind Oh No Romo. In 2 years Romo will be REALLY showing his age. And an aging, showboat/gunslinger type is a sad thing to see.

So, Defense and QB.

 

[AKATheRake]

I would draft a beast OG in the 2nd round and still look at Waters.

Free was much better with Waters in there so he makes 2 spots better just with him in there.

The drafted player is another pillar for this line long term.

Leary and Berny become viable depth.

Parnells craft is honed yet another year as Free stays.

This o- line would be a tangible strength at this point. Protect #9 and provide a better running game that also helps the defense.

Everything else do defense if a stud RB doesn't slip.

 

[conner01]

you really never know who will fall to you in the draft. ideally we need dline more than anything. but there may be a point in the draft where the dline guy there is not as good as an oline guy so you go oline. but atleeast the top 2 picks i think we have to go dline, then just try to get good players

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

honestly no . theyve been playing very well. We need an army on defense.

 

[Teague31]

No. Every pick in defense

 

[likofloathe]

Go for Ryan Groy or Jon Halapio late. They will need depth, but the defensive line could really use 3 new starters. Until the defensive line is better the linebackers and secodnary cant do their jobs.

 

[theSHOW]

offensive league. !st round should be on a 10 year guard that will make this line great. Jerry can gamble his 2nd thru 7th on defense.

 

[Hardline]

Offensive line needs to be addressed every draft.as well as defensive line.

 

[Hoov]

But good teams typically don't have the worst defense in league history.

Lol.

 

[Animosity]

we need to address the QB position first

 

[big dog cowboy]

Absolutely YES! Current my main concern is depth. We really don't have any. Injuries are the great nuetralizer and we have been lucky outside of Waters.

Looking more long term with FA, there needs to be a constant supply of OL's added every year. Not saying we need to draft them in the 1st round by any means. At some point we should be drafting one in the 2nd, 3rd or 4th rounds. Every year there are still good ones available in those rounds.

The bottom line is I want another Great Wall Of Dallas. That is what can drive a team to success in January. If you can run the ball you can win games PERIOD. Wear out the other teams defense and rest your own.

 

[Pabst]

If you can get Waters to come back, you can probably keep this group for another year. Honestly, next year looks to be terrible from a cap perspective, and you'll just have to grin and bear it. You won't be able to upgrade much if any of the team through FA.

Which leads to the draft, and honestly, we need to completely reload on defense, especially if we stick with the 43. Now, if the value isn't there on defense, and theres a quality OL sitting there, sure, pick him up. But the focus has to be on the defense.

And personally, I'm a little gunshy about Dallas selecting OL in mid-late rounds in the draft. It has not worked well for us as of late. Only the 1st rounders are playing well.

 

[JoeyBoy718]

This is just my opinion, but I think Jerry is trying to do whatever he can do to win in these final years of Romo's career. I think Jerry believes we live in a QB era and any team has a fighting chance if they have an elite QB (Peyton, Tom, Aaron, Drew). I also think Jerry believes Romo is in their class. I think Jerry believes we could have won almost all our games with a serviceable defense (since he probably believes the offensive line has finally been fixed). A lot of fans here also believe this. Every year it's "yeah, but if Romo had this he could have won." This is why I think Jerry does everything in his power to "quick fix" the defense. I think he wants to rebuild for the short-term rather than the long-term. That's why I wouldn't be surprised if we made no additions to offense (besides maybe re-adding Waters) and only changed the play-calling and coaching. I think every resource is gonna go toward the defense. I don't necessarily agree with this philosophy since I think we need a total rebuild (starting with the QB), but I think this is what Jerry believes.

 

[LatinMind]

I know this was a definite YES! last year, but we seemed to have turned this from a weakness to a strength. Obviously, Smith and Fred are our pillars for the next decade. Also, Free took a pay cut and played very well this year. Last but not least, our guards are surprisingly playing well too. Bern has really stepped up and has outplayed Waters. People forget he's young too. We brought him in here because he had starter potential and he may very well be proving us right. Leary was brought in in a low-risk, high-reward move. An undrafted free agent with degenerative knee issues. Well, he's been healthy and has been improving all season. We don't have much depth but Parnell can be a solid swing tackle, Costa is a solid backup center, and we could even bring Waters back for another year.

If we didn't have so many holes on defense, I would say let's still draft O-line early next year. But our defense is so bad that I think we need to spend EVERY draft pick and free agent acquisition on defense. I also think we're set on offense for at least next year in the personnel department. The only thing I think we could use is a RB, but I have faith that Murray can remain healthy and he still has a year left on his contract. The only thing I think our offense needs ASAP is a new coach/coordinator and play caller. I think we can afford to not address offense for a year for the sake of putting all our energy into improving our defense. What do you think?

There are too many needs that need to be addressed. Free hasnt struggled as much as you would imply. He's need no different then Tyron's occasional blunder. Most of Dallas big rushing plays have come on the right side. How plays RT?

At the earliest i would hope Dallas to draft a OL would be 5th rd. Because anybody they draft is going to be Depth not starting. and with the needs this team has on def would be a waste IMO. Dallas needs to build this def from the draft. I would even like it if they picked a backup QB and a RB before OL.

If it aint broke dont mess with it

 

[visionary]

There are too many needs that need to be addressed. Free hasnt struggled as much as you would imply. He's need no different then Tyron's occasional blunder. Most of Dallas big rushing plays have come on the right side. How plays RT?

At the earliest i would hope Dallas to draft a OL would be 5th rd. Because anybody they draft is going to be Depth not starting. and with the needs this team has on def would be a waste IMO. Dallas needs to build this def from the draft. I would even like it if they picked a backup QB and a RB before OL.

If it aint broke dont mess with it

dont pay attention to the cracks, wait for the dam to break

got it

 

[JoeyBoy718]

There are too many needs that need to be addressed. Free hasnt struggled as much as you would imply. He's need no different then Tyron's occasional blunder. Most of Dallas big rushing plays have come on the right side. How plays RT?

At the earliest i would hope Dallas to draft a OL would be 5th rd. Because anybody they draft is going to be Depth not starting. and with the needs this team has on def would be a waste IMO. Dallas needs to build this def from the draft. I would even like it if they picked a backup QB and a RB before OL.

If it aint broke dont mess with it

I didn't mean to imply that Free has struggled at all. I think he's playing well and I think we're fine at both tackle positions with Ty, Doug and Parnell the swing. I know some people here claim the entire offensive scheme is predicated on helping Doug Free. I guess I didn't want to offend those posters. But, yeah, I agree with you--I think Free is fine.

 

[Picksix]

I think we definitely need to improve. My point is, would it kill us if we waited a year? I think our defense is so bad that we NEED to address that now.

We definitely need to address the defense, but you never want to just address one aspect. Because as soon as you fix that, something else goes. If the opportunity arises to improve the OL, it's dangerous to forego because you're fixated on something else.

I remember a couple if years when Ryan was asked who he was looking at during the Senior Bowl. He said he was just looking at DB's. Sounded like he was so fixated on just that one aspect, that he convinced our FO that we needed to throw all our resources at that. So we end up spending 50 million and our top 2 picks on guys that, for whatever reason, haven't made that big a difference, and we didn't adequately address other needs.

It's easy to say we need defense,defense, defense, but until you gets into the season, you never really know what you're gonna need.

 

[likofloathe]

1st RD- Stephon Tuitt, DE, ND, or Ra'Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota
2nd RD - Timmy Jernigan, DT, FL St, or Daquan Jones, DT, PENN ST, or Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, TX if they get DT earlier
3rd RD - Ty Zimmerman, FS, KS ST, or Kenny Ladler, FS Vandy this would allow Barry Church to bulk up and play WOLB position
4th RD - Whichever G is available. Anthony Steen, G, Alabama or Jon Halapio, G, Florida, or Arie Kouandjio, G, Alabama
5th RD - Denicos Allen, OLB, Michigan State or A.J. Tarpley, I/OLB, Stanford
6th - 7th RDs, lost our 6th but we should have a few comp picks here as well as CHI: at this point its a crap shoot. They need to grab a developmental QB, RB, and a OL with the picks. QBS, like Bryn Renner or James Franklin. RB's that fall or are undervalued like; Roderick McDowell or John Hubert.

 

[Picksix]

Free is too cheap after the restructure to replace at this point. He'll be penciled in as the starting RT next year.

I would look to add a G in the 3rd/4th. I'd hardly call Berny and Leary a strength

I'd you look at the film study on those guys, Free has easily been the weakest guy on the line. Berny and Lear have actually been really good in the run. Now you could argue we still need to improve picking up the A gap blitzes, so if we went guard, fine.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

I think we need to look at depth. I'm really surprised by how well Bernardeau has played since taking over for Waters. Leary is the weakest link of the bunch, but all things considered I'm happy with his play. Very happy with Free's play and Tyron is really great. The only problem with Tyron is if we run to the right he doesn't get the backside that well (you try and do that when you're as big as he is.

But, the thing with this O-Line is that it has....

stayed relatively healthy.

I think our biggest need to address in all of this is the hamstring issues. It's been unacceptable to have this many hamstring issues 2 years in a row.

And for the O-Line to stay healthy 2 years in a row, I seriously doubt that.

I hate to say it, but I would probably keep Costa along and look to draft a guard in the 2nd or 3rd round to see if he can compete with Leary and Bernie and at worse, take over as the starter in 2015. I think we need a backup swing tackle because I don't quite trust Parnell.

But hopefully we can get to the point where we can develop the incoming linemen as quality backups that turn into quality starters when one of the current starters either gets injured or their play dips off or they demand too much money. Again, the team really needs to focus on these hamstring issues and figure out why they are happening. Otherwise we'll get too many players being asked to play out of position and to start when they are not ready to do so.

I will also say that while I think the O-Line has played well, Murray has played a big part in making it look even better than it is. I'm really impressed with his running the past few games.




YR