News: ESPN: Dak Prescott's play is much better than Cowboys' record indicates

[Zekeats]

but just like the article said dak like tony can play really well the team still loses just wish some of the rest of the team would step up

It's the coaching. How many games have we lost because of poor clock management throughout the Garrett years. TOO MANY!!!

 

[Doomsay]

but just like the article said dak like tony can play really well the team still loses just wish some of the rest of the team would step up

Like the fantasy yawn.

 

[School]

No, I think we really want to hear how you think the team that is on a two game losing streak where their defense showed themselves to be arguably the worst defense in the league is somehow trending in the right direction. If your eyes are telling you something else, you might need glasses. Or an eye transplant.

I really have got to hear this explanation.

Can they get righted and head in the right direction? Sure. Are they heading in the right direction now? Oh hell no.

The team may have lost two games in a row, but the positive trends are pretty clear.

The offense has been on a tear - they've scored 4 offensive touchdowns in 3 straight games, without help from any turnovers. Check and see how often that's accomplished. The defense has clearly missed Lee and now he's back. Regardless of the logic of relying so heavily on a linebacker with an extensive injury history, the fact that he's returning after a long rest is excellent for the team's outlook.

Add in the emergence of Lewis and Woods in the secondary, Lawrence transforming into an unlikely war daddy, Irving returning and looking strong, and Cooper solidifying the LG position, and it doesn't require an eye transplant to see a winning streak on the horizon. At least until we play the Chosen One and the Eagles.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Story of this franchise. Wasted quality QB play....history is repeating itself.

Not yet my brotha. Let Dakota fail first, because Romo had plenty of chances to stop the 8-8 nonsense. Wasn’t all on defense

 

[Rack]

Not yet my brotha. Let Dakota fail first, because Romo had plenty of chances to stop the 8-8 nonsense. Wasn’t all on defense

Yes, it was. Or at least a great majority was.

 

[Sydla]

The team may have lost two games in a row, but the positive trends are pretty clear.

The offense has been on a tear - they've scored 4 offensive touchdowns in 3 straight games, without help from any turnovers. Check and see how often that's accomplished. The defense has clearly missed Lee and now he's back. Regardless of the logic of relying so heavily on a linebacker with an extensive injury history, the fact that he's returning after a long rest is excellent for the team's outlook.

Add in the emergence of Lewis and Woods in the secondary, Lawrence transforming into an unlikely war daddy, Irving returning and looking strong, and Cooper solidifying the LG position, and it doesn't require an eye transplant to see a winning streak on the horizon. At least until we play the Chosen One and the Eagles.

The negative trends outstrip the positive ones. The defense is so awful and shown itself to be so awful the past two weeks, that suggesting this team is trending upward is pretty pie in the sky thinking IMO.

PS - One of your positive outcomes - Cooper at LG - appears to be false. It seems the Cowboys have now listed Green as the starter at LG, not Cooper.

 

[JoeKing]

Yeah. No.

The team has lost their last two games where they gave up 35 points AT HOME in both games.

If anything, this team is headed in the wrong direction, not the right one. Until this defense actually shows the ability to stop teams more than they have shown to date, this team is most certainly not heading in the "right" direction.

To suggest otherwise is more wishful thinking than anything at this point.

Hey, you hate on the Cowboys about as good as I hate on you... Congrats.

 

[Sydla]

It's not hate. It's reality. This team has a lot of holes and while they certainly could turn it around, to suggest that the turnaround has started (in other words, the trends have turned positive) is pretty much wishful thinking at this point.

 

[Idgit]

A lot of what's looked bad early in the season actually has turned around a bit. It's not a stretch to say our offense had its best couple of outings the last few weeks here, or that the GB game was our best game yet.

The problem is on defense. And there's a lot of work to do there. Most of the problem is with the LB, so you can see how the prospect of getting Lee back to play with Hitchens finally has people hoping for improvement there.

The other problem area is at S, where we've got a couple of promising rookies people legitimately want to see get some playing time. It's a stretch. But if LB play improves significantly and our DBs develop, we could get back to playing defense at the level we played it last season.

 

[Sydla]

A lot of what's looked bad early in the season actually has turned around a bit. It's not a stretch to say our offense had its best couple of outings the last few weeks here, or that the GB game was our best game yet.

The problem is on defense. And there's a lot of work to do there. Most of the problem is with the LB, so you can see how the prospect of getting Lee back to play with Hitchens finally has people hoping for improvement there.

The other problem area is at S, where we've got a couple of promising rookies people legitimately want to see get some playing time. It's a stretch. But if LB play improves significantly and our DBs develop, we could get back to playing defense at the level we played it last season.

The defense is actually as bad, if not worse, than what we saw at the beginning of the year.

They just gave up 35 points in back to back games at home. That's not a positive trend at all. It's actually really awful. So again, assuming it turns around or has started to turn around is more based on hope than reality at this point. There is literally no indication that the defense is going to improve dramatically starting this Sunday.

We all hope it does. And it's certainly not impossible the defense could improve. But people are actually trying to argue that the trends indicate improvement is being made right now and the trend is up and that's just bizarre.

 

[erod]

Bad defenses. Dak good.

Good defenses. Dak not so good.

Such is the life of promising young quarterbacks.

 

[Rockport]

Dak is a very good QB. He could be great some day. But this bend but don’t break defense has got to change. Enough is enough.

 

[Idgit]

The defense is actually as bad, if not worse, than what we saw at the beginning of the year.

They just gave up 35 points in back to back games at home. That's not a positive trend at all. It's actually really awful. So again, assuming it turns around or has started to turn around is more based on hope than reality at this point. There is literally no indication that the defense is going to improve dramatically starting this Sunday.

We all hope it does. And it's certainly not impossible the defense could improve. But people are actually trying to argue that the trends indicate improvement is being made right now and the trend is up and that's just bizarre.

I know it is.

The difference on defense is the LBs who've been hurt are finally coming back. That's been the biggest weekends the last two weeks, and one of the two players we're adding is the best player on the defense.

Throw in the moderate excitement over the rookie DBs and it's not hard to see where the improvement is expected to come from.

 

[Sydla]

I know it is.

The difference on defense is the LBs who've been hurt are finally coming back. That's been the biggest weekends the last two weeks, and one of the two players we're adding is the best player on the defense.

Throw in the moderate excitement over the rookie DBs and it's not hard to see where the improvement is expected to come from.

Has that improvement started? Nope. In fact, the D has regressed. Blame injuries to Lee all you want (Lee was on the field when they got shredded by Denver) but the trend for this team is largely down coming off two losses where the D was so terrible that even a great offensive performance in both couldn't save them.

So to say the trend is up for the defense and improvement has been made so we should expect good things going forward isn't based in anything really tangible. It's based on hope until we actually see some signs of improvement.

 

[Idgit]

Has that improvement started? Nope. In fact, the D has regressed. Blame injuries to Lee all you want (Lee was on the field when they got shredded by Denver) but the trend for this team is largely down coming off two losses where the D was so terrible that even a great offensive performance in both couldn't save them.

So to say the trend is up for the defense and improvement has been made so we should expect good things going forward isn't based in anything really tangible. It's based on hope until we actually see some signs of improvement.

It hasn't started. And I didn't really say that it had, only that it's pretty easy to see why people would expect it. I know I'm expecting much better LB play v. The 49ers myself based just on the personnel we've got back.

But the question of whether or not getting starters back counts as 'improvement' is semantic. I'd disagree that expecting better play from better players is basing anything on "hope." We know from experience that these guys play better than the guys they're replacing. It's not wishful thinking just because they haven't gotten on the field yet.

 

[School]

So to say the trend is up for the defense and improvement has been made so we should expect good things going forward isn't based in anything really tangible. It's based on hope until we actually see some signs of improvement.

Fewer yards and fewer points (7 points were from the interception) than versus the Rams, and more sacks (2 from Irving). Yes, starters returning to the middle of the defense, which has been a huge weakness, just may indicate an upward trend. The defense actually held the Packers to fewer yards and first downs than the Seahawks defense.

 

[Sydla]

It hasn't started. And I didn't really say that it had, only that it's pretty easy to see why people would expect it. I know I'm expecting much better LB play v. The 49ers myself based just on the personnel we've got back.

But the question of whether or not getting starters back counts as 'improvement' is semantic. I'd disagree that expecting better play from better players is basing anything on "hope." We know from experience that these guys play better than the guys they're replacing. It's not wishful thinking just because they haven't gotten on the field yet.

But that was the point of my response to other posters that you then responded to.

That there is no upward trend right now. That the improvement hasn't started. That this team right now is what it is.......... a 2-3 team that has one of the worst defenses in football and got lit up in two straight home games.

 

[aikemirv]

Completion percentage down. Sustained drives down and pocket presence not as good as last year.

Dak or Oline? or combination of both? Not quite sure but I do think Dak is overthinking things at times. That's my take on the offense. I did not think the D was that great last year but were not tested near as often!

 

[Idgit]

But that was the point of my response to other posters that you then responded to.

That there is no upward trend right now. That the improvement hasn't started. That this team right now is what it is.......... a 2-3 team that has one of the worst defenses in football and got lit up in two straight home games.

I'm not really disagreeing with you. The wins/losses are what they are, and we're riding a two game home losing streak. Just trying to identify what other posters might consider to be the 'trend.'

Personally, I'd say we're not riding a positive trend whatsoever, but that there are reasonable conditions for expecting the team to play better, regardless.

 

[stilltheguru88]

Yes, it was. Or at least a great majority was.

It was the defenses fault that Romo threw those picks against a Matt Flynn led Packers. Or the infamous Detroit game. Etc etc. okkkkkkkkkkk