ESPN: What might have been for Dallas D

[TellerMorrow34]

I'm guessing the OP is saying he had both these guys in his mock that year and he would have drafted them in the 1st and 2nd round right?

These could have been draft threads are boring.

 

[DallasEast]

Unless one of these articles can make the Cowboys look like jokes, none will ever see the light of day.

Schefter publishes his share of drivel--all of which is not solely devoted to the Cowboys in some form or fashion.

 

[Stash]

http://m.espn.go.com/nfl/story?storyId=11659741

So in back-to-back drafts, Dallas used midround picks on a safety and cornerback, and so did Seattle. The difference in those selections is one of the main reasons Dallas is desperate to get to the postseason while Seattle has thrived in it.

Now, as Seattle prepares to host Dallas on Sunday, Chancellor and Sherman will be going up against one of the many teams that bypassed them in the draft. Only the Cowboys bypassed them in favor of other players manning the same positions.

That is just so glaringly, embarrassingly bad.

It's like they tried to be awful...

 

[Red Dragon]

Imagine if Dallas had drafted Chancellor and Sherman, and they were busts.......and Owusu-Ansah and Thomas became Pro Bowlers.


Would we still get the same article today, just with names reversed?

 

[Stash]

I'm sorry...I missed where DALLAS was the only team that passed up Kam Chancellor and Richard Sherman. Seems like Seattle passed them up for SEVERAL rounds as well.

What makes it terrible is that Dallas filled needs at both positions with players that contributed nothing.

When you draft great players - no matter the round - you get credit for it.

When you draft awful players - at those same positions - you get blame.

Deservedly so on both sides.

 

[Stash]

People overestimate the value of a pick, and underestimate the value of scheme fit and good coaching over a couple of years. That said, it's interesting to see how a few moves (passing on Chancellor/Sherman for Ansah/Thomas) or the move up to pick Claiborne when we might otherwise have stayed put and gone Brokers/Wagner (who knows what really might have happened, but let's pretend) can readily make the difference between a relatively poor defense and a dominating one. That's to say that you can do a ton of things right in building a team in this league, and still the difference between success and failure can come down to just one or two mistakes. Just like in the games. It's kind of crazy how thin the line between real success and failure is in the NFL sometimes when you really think about it.

Great post!

 

[punchnjudy]

People overestimate the value of a pick, and underestimate the value of scheme fit and good coaching over a couple of years. That said, it's interesting to see how a few moves (passing on Chancellor/Sherman for Ansah/Thomas) or the move up to pick Claiborne when we might otherwise have stayed put and gone Brokers/Wagner (who knows what really might have happened, but let's pretend) can readily make the difference between a relatively poor defense and a dominating one. That's to say that you can do a ton of things right in building a team in this league, and still the difference between success and failure can come down to just one or two mistakes. Just like in the games. It's kind of crazy how thin the line between real success and failure is in the NFL sometimes when you really think about it.

During the pre-season, I was contemplating how many guys we would have to time warp from the 90's squads just to have a shot at a Super Bowl. It wasn't a long list, and I thought this team would be a lot worse than it is. To seal the deal, I thought it would take quite a few, but just to have a chance I figured maybe Haley, Lett, and Washington. Today, I'd probably consider them a contender with just two of those guys. This is definitely not the NFL I grew up with.

 

[viman96]

Imagine if Dallas had drafted Chancellor and Sherman, and they were busts.......and Owusu-Ansah and Thomas became Pro Bowlers.


Would we still get the same article today, just with names reversed?

Bizzaro world!

 

[viman96]

Shefter's point (which is not a good one) is that the Cowboys were the only team to pass on Sherman and Chancellor when they drafted the same positions and they were available and were take a few picks later.

Of course when it gets this late in the draft all 32 teams passed Sherman and Chancellor several times.

Only the Cowboys bypassed them in favor of other players manning the same positions.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

What makes it terrible is that Dallas filled needs at both positions with players that contributed nothing.

When you draft great players - no matter the round - you get credit for it.

When you draft awful players - at those same positions - you get blame.

Deservedly so on both sides.

I understand this. But if Seattle KNEW these guys would be Pro Bowlers...don't you think they would have grabbed them earlier? Don't you think another team would have grabbed them earlier? That is why Schefter's point is silly.

It's almost like saying New England was genuis for grabbing Tom Brady in the 6th round. The fact that he was still available in the 6th round indicates NOBODY....including New England...thought much of him.

 

[jazzcat22]

The thing that stood out to me, besides Schefter the tool he is.

Why the Cowboys had this continued philosophy of small school vs big school drafting theory.
They been wrong much more than they been right.
It seemed to have changed a bit since will mcclay been more involved though.

Not sure, but would need to go back and look.

 

[reddyuta]

The one that really stings is Unger and Seattle taking him before us kick started our Olines slide into mediocrity.

 

[Zordon]

such a random article to write about the 4-1 cowboys.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

This is insane to me because when people do this they never fail to mention how mediocre or below average Seattle has been drafting. Yes they hit on Sherman and Chancellor but they've missed out on a lot of 1st and 2nd round talent.

What if Cowboys never drafted Dez? What if they passed on Demarco? What if they didn't draft Tyron? Its like everyone wants them to have a 100% success rate in the draft lol.

 

[Jarv]

The Cowboys technically passed on drafting Tom Brady. Yet I don't remember anyone ripping them for that.

So did the Hawks...lol

 

[cowboys1981]

The way they built their defense is the same we we built our offense. Every starter we have was drafted or signed as a UDFA. Time to put the strength of our offense up against their defense.

 

[xwalker]

People overestimate the value of a pick, and underestimate the value of scheme fit and good coaching over a couple of years. That said, it's interesting to see how a few moves (passing on Chancellor/Sherman for Ansah/Thomas) or the move up to pick Claiborne when we might otherwise have stayed put and gone Brokers/Wagner (who knows what really might have happened, but let's pretend) can readily make the difference between a relatively poor defense and a dominating one. That's to say that you can do a ton of things right in building a team in this league, and still the difference between success and failure can come down to just one or two mistakes. Just like in the games. It's kind of crazy how thin the line between real success and failure is in the NFL sometimes when you really think about it.

I don't think Chancellor would have done well if not surrounded by talent.

Swap him and Church in 2013 and nobody would know the difference on either team.

 

[BAT]

Enjoyed the article. But I am always interested in where we could have improved ourselves. I wonder what the scouts who down graded Chancellor, Sherman, even Romo are saying now.

 

[Idgit]

I don't think Chancellor would have done well if not surrounded by talent.

Swap him and Church in 2013 and nobody would know the difference on either team.

You're probably right. But then, I'm a big fan of Barry Church's, too.

 

[conner01]

those two players have very little to do with their success. it's the team that has been successful and the biggest part of that was getting a qb without using a premuim pick. like we did