Do we really have an o-line that only needed Jason Fabini and a 7th rnd pick?

[NorTex]

You guys crack me up...every other O-line in the league will struggle if the starters go down with injuries.

Can you imagine Seattle without Walter Jones now that Hutchinson is gone.

 

[InmanRoshi]

The OL isn't going to be great next year. You just have to accept that. The question is can the OL be good enough, as it was last year before Flozell's injury. The OL wasn't dominant before Flozell's injury, but they we're good enough for the Cowboys to put up 24 points a game.

Its unrealisitic to expect to totally revamp an OL in one offseason anyway. Its too difficult to aquire them. Great offensive linemen, particularly tackles, don't see the free agent market and rookie offensive linemen typically need a couple of years to make an impact. Its takes 2-3 years to totally revamp an OL. That's why the Jacob Rogers and Solomon Page and possibly Stephen Peterman busts hurt so bad. They require a lot of investment, and its hard to cover up for mistakes.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

Ya know, funny thing, Flozell has taken a beating from many Cowboy fans in the past...yet, now, he's seen as the savior.

Let's face it, his play has been inconsistent from day one...he had one very good year under Parcells. The other 1 1/2 years were up and down.

He's always had problem with speed rushers.

His concentration, at times, has been lacking.

I am hopeful he'll have a very good year. But there's no guarantee that this will be an "up" year for him.

The offensive line is still a huge concern for me.

Shhhh! You're not supposed to bring this up in Happyland. On a good, healthy day Flo is a question mark.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Shhhh! You're not supposed to bring this up in Happyland. On a good, healthy day Flo is a question mark.

I don't think its "happyland" to have a new found appreciation for Flozell when you've seen what the alternative can be. Even if in 2004 Flozell took a step back from the Pro Bowl level he played before, that's still a mighty high level. The Giants had to pay Mike McKenzie $12.5 million in signing bonus for that level of play. Jeff Backus got a franchise tag slapped on him and will receive (at the minimum) $7 million dollars to play next season, and he's never made it to that level.

Perhaps some, including myself, actually took Flozell for granted.

 

[groverat]

I don't think anyone is happy with the Cowboys offensive line, but there are some reasons to be optimistic that it won't be a weight around the team's neck.

 

[Portland Fanatic]

Honestly, I really like our team. I keep hearing about how we need an offensive tackle but I am far more concerned about how we play from Guard to Guard. Everyone on the OL will need a career year for us to have a Super Bowl Championship type of season.

Bone


out.

First off WELCOME....I agree 100%.

I think Pettiti will be much improved from last year...I think Fabini may be an upgrade...best will start with depth. I also like what I'm hearing about Columbo. Both Fabini and Columbo have vet experience at LT if we need.

As for guard as you called out...if the unknown Kosier goes down, or Rivera I'm not sure I have any trust in Peterman or Gurode. Aren't we changing our offensive scheme to a more mobile OG...if so, BOTH Gurode and Peterman fit the old style of non moble straight ahead blocking. Maybe it's not that bad, but I'd love for a good vet OG to break loose sometime before the season starts to fill that backup void.

 

[skinsscalper]

Honestly, There's optimism for the O-line this season because, quite frankly, it couldn't possibly be worse than the line we fielded for the last six or seven games of last season.

As others have pointed out we were averaging 24 points a game in the early season and winning games with a defense that was baby stepping it's way into a new system. If we can even sniff 24 points a game over an entire season, then we are going to be a team that EVERY other team is going to have to reckon with. There's no way that this defense is going to average giving up 24 points a game.

The key is just solid O-line play. Not spectacular, mind you, just solid. Bledsoe was sacked more than any QB in the league last year (with the exception of David Carr). IF those sacks can be cut by even a 4th this would have been an 11 win team.

One other thing, everybody is down on the fact that Bledsoe isn't very mobile in the pocket. We used to have another QB that wasn't exactly Vick back there either. His name was Aikman. I remember watching Troy wait until the last second so many times to deliver a strike and take in right on the chin. I respected the hell out of that. Bledsoe is just as willing to take an *** whoopin to give his guy the time, we just need to give him the time to keep his eyes downfield.

SS

 

[lspain1]

Another point to add to this discussion is our move to a 2 TE set. This type of set should help at the edges. It will not provide much help up the middle. I think the risk this year is in the middle.

 

[Eskimo]

Ya know, funny thing, Flozell has taken a beating from many Cowboy fans in the past...yet, now, he's seen as the savior.

Let's face it, his play has been inconsistent from day one...he had one very good year under Parcells. The other 1 1/2 years were up and down.

He's always had problem with speed rushers.

His concentration, at times, has been lacking.

I am hopeful he'll have a very good year. But there's no guarantee that this will be an "up" year for him.

The offensive line is still a huge concern for me.

Flo ultimately belongs at RT and will need to move over there in the next couple of years as he loses some of his quickness. Now was the perfect time to groom a possible LT so he could get a year under his belt before starting in 2007. I really think passing on Winston or not trading up for Colledge was a mistake with the 2nd round pick because LTs are hard to come by in FA.

 

[cowboyeric8]

We will live or die by this offensive line this year.

I'm not satisfied with it, but its what we got.

I think Allen is going to be a guy that you didn't realize how much he did until he's gone.

How will Flozell due without is big buddy Larry and coming off of knee surgery? Which I don't see as a problem because the medical advances they have now are amazing, but you never know.

The line is a big concern for me, but I really don't see how much better the line could of gotten, without paying huge amounts of money.

But it is the weakest part of this team now.

 

[cowboyeric8]

Another point to add to this discussion is our move to a 2 TE set. This type of set should help at the edges. It will not provide much help up the middle. I think the risk this year is in the middle.

Julius is not going to do well with the 2 TE set, way to much clogging and not enough free room, which he does best in. And the 2 TE set is not hard to cover.

And I wonder if he is going to get TO to play fullback like Key did last year? lol

 

[big dog cowboy]

Honestly, I really like our team. I keep hearing about how we need an offensive tackle but I am far more concerned about how we play from Guard to Guard. Everyone on the OL will need a career year for us to have a Super Bowl Championship type of season.

Bone


out.

to the board!!!!!!

 

[Little Jr]

Yeah, but that line started looking a lot better when Tom Brady replaced Drew Bledsoe.

Not really. Brady got sacked 41 times that year.

 

[Merlin]

Justice went like 13 picks ahead of us in round 2

Well, you can always trade up. It has happened before.

 

[InmanRoshi]

Julius is not going to do well with the 2 TE set, way to much clogging and not enough free room

Boy, I totally disagree with this misconception. The great thing about the 2 TE set is that it spreads out the defensive front laterally because they have to put a helmet up on 7 blockers along the line of scrimmage and dramatically increases the space they have to control from sideline to sideline, which creates natural running gaps in the process. You don't even have to drive block people off the line, you can just wall off defenders and create holes.

If anything, a FB clogs up the middle because it just throws another body to the hole and leads the linebackers right to the RB. There is a very good reason why the FB is becoming an antiquated position in the NFL. Not just Parcells, not just the Cowboys ... the entire NFL. When was the first true FB taken in this draft? Round 6 with Vickers? And even he's more of a RB/FB tweener. I counted 14 TE's that went before him. There's going to be a lot of multiple TE sets used in the NFL in the fuuture.

 

[fanfromvirginia]

I don't think its "happyland" to have a new found appreciation for Flozell when you've seen what the alternative can be. Even if in 2004 Flozell took a step back from the Pro Bowl level he played before, that's still a mighty high level. The Giants had to pay Mike McKenzie $12.5 million in signing bonus for that level of play. Jeff Backus got a franchise tag slapped on him and will receive (at the minimum) $7 million dollars to play next season, and he's never made it to that level.

Perhaps some, including myself, actually took Flozell for granted.

I hope you're right. I share your thoughts at times. On the other hand, Flozell really has only had one great year and the others have been decidedly less. Granted, a decent year for a left OT can look not so hot, or so it is said. I'm not convinced myself. I'm hoping for a probowl year out of Flo but most definitely not expecting it. And he's one of our best.

 

[btcutter]

You guys crack me up...every other O-line in the league will struggle if the starters go down with injuries.

Can you imagine Seattle without Walter Jones now that Hutchinson is gone.

But Seattle doesn't have a statue like Bledsoe nor does Hasselback pat the ball 5 time before unloading the rock.

OL maybe somewhat improved but remember who this team will face.....Skins, Eagles and Giants who all improved their Defensive front 7 as well.

How people completely dismiss this team's need for quality backups and future starters is beyond me.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

There have been two times that fans have been down on players and the Cowboys brass has brought them back and the have performed very well.

I really equate the situation with Gurode very similar to Flozell Adams and Bradie James. I have a feeling that the coaching staff expects Gurode to finally 'get it' this year.

We need 3 of Rivera/Kosier/Gurode/Johnson/Peterman/scrubs to work.

We need two of Adams/Fabini/Pettiti/Columbo/scrubs to work.

Waht people fail to recognize is that all drafting a Justice or a Giles or Colledge does is add a name to one of these lists.

Adding a tackle is pointless as we have youth to develop already with Pettiti and Columbo and there is no way a Justice is going to beat out Fabini or Adams.

Adding a guard like a Giles may be a bit more palatable but Peterman and perhaps even Gurode are in the mix to develop behind Koisier and Rivera. While that may make you feel a bit more comfortable it shouldnt make you sit back and think everything is automatically peachy.

I also dont think that you can discount what kind of effect that Campbell's drop off in play had on our offense at the line of scrimmage. All Hannam is is a name to add to the TE list.

Witten/Fasano/Hannam/scrubs looks light years ahead of Witten/Hannam/scrubs.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

But Seattle doesn't have a statue like Bledsoe nor does Hasselback pat the ball 5 time before unloading the rock.

OL maybe somewhat improved but remember who this team will face.....Skins, Eagles and Giants who all improved their Defensive front 7 as well.

How people completely dismiss this team's need for quality backups and future starters is beyond me.

Peterman/Gurode/Columbo/Pettiti all say hello.

Last time I checked these guys are all young and backups. Gurode was retained by the club after his third season which to me says something. The other three have not yet played their third season. If you actually accept the philosophy of giving players three years to develop before tossing in the towel it makes sense what the Cowboys are doing.

 

[AdamJT13]

Julius is not going to do well with the 2 TE set, way to much clogging and not enough free room, which he does best in.

I disagree completely. There is only clogging when it's a traditional two-tight end formation with a fullback. We'll be using a one-back formation with two tight ends who can line up in a variety of spots (on the line, off the line, in motion, out wide, in the backfield, etc.). If both tight ends split out wide, it's no more clogged than a four-receiver spread offense. Julius has excelled in one-back formations, and that's what we'll be in for the majority of plays.