Fix the middle of the D

[Aven8]

As we know that’s the problem with this D. It’s broken up the middle. Here here’s my solution.

Sign Justin Simmons. It will be expensive but we paid 10 million for Crawford for nothing. Team him up with Wilson and this thing changes overnight folks.

Get Parsons or Collins at LB in the 1st. These aren’t regular LB’s. These are playmakers that can do it all. Cover, tackle, rush the passer, etc. Create havoc type players are what is needed in 1st round picks.

Do whatever you can to nab Nixon out of Iowa in the 2nd or late first. He’s a disrupter.

For the rest of the draft, get another Olineman, and corners all over, another LB. One last dream.....get me the fastest little guy out there gadget player that can be found. I don’t care where he’s from. The only thing missing on this offense is that.

 

[stilltheguru]

Id rather sign Jenkins.
Draft collins/koromoah
Draft mcneil round 2

But i agree on your idea 100 percent.

 

[Cowboyny]

As we know that’s the problem with this D. It’s broken up the middle. Here here’s my solution.

Sign Justin Simmons. It will be expensive but we paid 10 million for Crawford for nothing. Team him up with Wilson and this thing changes overnight folks.

Get Parsons or Collins at LB in the 1st. These aren’t regular LB’s. These are playmakers that can do it all. Cover, tackle, rush the passer, etc. Create havoc type players are what is needed in 1st round picks.

Do whatever you can to nab Nixon out of Iowa in the 2nd or late first. He’s a disrupter.

For the rest of the draft, get another Olineman, and corners all over, another LB. One last dream.....get me the fastest little guy out there gadget player that can be found. I don’t care where he’s from. The only thing missing on this offense is that.

Justin Simmons is a total pipe dream, he is going to command 15 million a season.

 

[gimmesix]

Justin Simmons is a total pipe dream, he is going to command 15 million a season.

I think it's more realistic that we'll sign Keanu Neal and Richard Sherman, so that we don't absolutely have to take a DB with our first couple of picks. I think we'll add a DT in FA, too, but I don't know if it will be a 3-tech like Gerald McCoy or more of an immovable object (not sure of who is available among run-stuffing big men).

What Dallas usually does with FA is try to fill starting positions with at least a body. Right now, we've got one starting safety and one starting corner (or two if they count Brown, but no nickel). The team may feel that Gallimore and Woods are bodies who can start at DT, but the reason I think we'll add a FA DT is based on our struggles against the run last year. It's possible that we could add a starting LB as well considering that it looks like we'll play more 4-3 than we did last year, but it wouldn't surprise me if Lee is re-signed for another year to be the vet who starts when we have three out there.

These, I believe are the holes we'll be looking to fill with those bargain FAs and then further fortify in the draft depending on how it falls. I'm not saying the players I listed are the ones I want, but rather the ones I believe the Joneses will be willing to sign.

 

[waving monkey]

Tighten up the middle with Alim McNeal [3rd] would be another option.
Richie Grant would keep the passer honest.
Keep LVE out of the ML spot

 

[cnuball21]

As we know that’s the problem with this D. It’s broken up the middle. Here here’s my solution.

Sign Justin Simmons. It will be expensive but we paid 10 million for Crawford for nothing. Team him up with Wilson and this thing changes overnight folks.

Get Parsons or Collins at LB in the 1st. These aren’t regular LB’s. These are playmakers that can do it all. Cover, tackle, rush the passer, etc. Create havoc type players are what is needed in 1st round picks.

Do whatever you can to nab Nixon out of Iowa in the 2nd or late first. He’s a disrupter.

For the rest of the draft, get another Olineman, and corners all over, another LB. One last dream.....get me the fastest little guy out there gadget player that can be found. I don’t care where he’s from. The only thing missing on this offense is that.

One of the biggest problems is we’ve ignored DTs that can anchor and effect the run game for years.

If we keep targeting guys like Nixon that isn’t changing.

 

[Gaede]

We should definitely draft a couple of DTs this year. Like that draft that we got Chido and Lewis. We need to double dip at the position.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

I agree with you in principle. I might target a guy like Grant in 2, maybe a Togai in 3. But I'd be all on board the Simmons train if I thought the Cowboys would and could do it.

One issue is the game's evolution. While I think the Cowboys missed the boat on the pure run stopper in the past, I'm not sure you can take the 1T speed bump approach in today's game. Too many stretch plays, RPOs, etc. Teams are as likely to throw a quick out on 4th and 1 as they are to run. A tackle who lacks mobility would look great in certain situations but would be exploitable in a lot of others. Of course, you want someone who is sturdy up the middle, but he needs some mobility as well.

LB is really interesting. The anticipated Quinn defense screams for someone like the Notre Dame kid. Maybe Fields from WV or Wallow from TCU. A smaller LB who excels in space. Parsons might fit, but I have some doubts.

Now maybe Quinn will tweak the scheme. He used Bruce Irvin in Seattle -- a kind of hybrid SLB/pass rusher. But I'm not sure that works in today's game.

My long-winded point is that Jaylon (even if he were to rebound) and LVE (even if he stays healthy) appear to be redundant in this defense. Either might play MLB, but neither look like a fit on the weak side. It looks like you need one or the other. And since SLB is passe in today's game, you can't have a significant financial investment in the position -- unless you think the Irvin model still works.

I'm not sure I wouldn't cut Jaylon this year and plan to replace LVE next, when his rookie contract lapses.

Maybe in a dream world, you trade down a bit and take Bolton late in 1, Grant in 2, a DT in 3 (and with a couple extra picks) a Fields or a Wallow. But you also need to get a long CB on there somewhere. Maybe you get lucky with the Northwestern corner in 3.

Any way you slice it, the jigsaw needs these pieces -- a disruptive DT, a dependable MLB, a mobile WLB, a rangy FS and one or two corners, preferably at least one with length.

You probably can't get this done in one off-season unless there is a surprising answer on your roster (Jaylon or LVE get it done at MLB, Bernard works at WLB). But of you make one or two strong FA moves and have a decent draft, you could get close.

 

[Cowboyny]

I think it's more realistic that we'll sign Keanu Neal and Richard Sherman, so that we don't absolutely have to take a DB with our first couple of picks. I think we'll add a DT in FA, too, but I don't know if it will be a 3-tech like Gerald McCoy or more of an immovable object (not sure of who is available among run-stuffing big men).

What Dallas usually does with FA is try to fill starting positions with at least a body. Right now, we've got one starting safety and one starting corner (or two if they count Brown, but no nickel). The team may feel that Gallimore and Woods are bodies who can start at DT, but the reason I think we'll add a FA DT is based on our struggles against the run last year. It's possible that we could add a starting LB as well considering that it looks like we'll play more 4-3 than we did last year, but it wouldn't surprise me if Lee is re-signed for another year to be the vet who starts when we have three out there.

These, I believe are the holes we'll be looking to fill with those bargain FAs and then further fortify in the draft depending on how it falls. I'm not saying the players I listed are the ones I want, but rather the ones I believe the Joneses will be willing to sign.

Neal does nothing for our safety need as he plays the same position/role as Donovan Wilson. He is a box, strong safety. Sherman would be more of a short-term fix, perhaps a 1 yr bridge, which wouldn't prevent the team from drafting another high corner, it may make it easier to draft one more in day 2, then at the top of the round 1. A starting caliber corner will be added in some shape or form. Figure a player like Kazee or Hooker are signed to play Safety.

Think they sign multiple DL starters, one at NT and another at 3T, along with a starter at linebacker, think Lee has played his last game with the team. Anyone they sign isn't going to be long-term fixtures at those positions, that's their strategy, sign placeholders and draft/develop their replacements. However, their fa signees have been terrible of late, might have to spend a little more to make it work.

 

[visionary]

Every single year we make the convenient excuse that “we cannot afford the better FAs” because of the cap and use that as an excuse to say that we are unable to improve glaring deficiencies on our team. “It’s not that we don’t want to, we just can’t”

the other garbage excuse “realistic super fans” make (in an attempt to show that they understand team building better than the rest if us) is that “we are not one player away”

both of these excuses are of course total garbage

Meanwhile other teams go out an sign the same FAs with the same cap limitations and improve their teams and contend and win CGs and SBs

when will we as fans wake up to the FACT that if we want, we can sign the best FAs like Simmons or Williams at FS and Tomlinson at DT

when will we fans stop giving them the benefit of these excuses and actually call them out?

not holding my breath

 

[Aven8]

Every single year we make the convenient excuse that “we cannot afford the better FAs” because of the cap and use that as an excuse to say that we are unable to improve glaring deficiencies on our team. “It’s not that we don’t want to, we just can’t”

the other garbage excuse “realistic super fans” make (in an attempt to show that they understand team building better than the rest if us) is that “we are not one player away”

both of these excuses are of course total garbage

Meanwhile other teams go out an sign the same FAs with the same cap limitations and improve their teams and contend and win CGs and SBs

when will we as fans wake up to the FACT that if we want, we can sign the best FAs like Simmons or Williams at FS and Tomlinson at DT

when will we fans stop giving them the benefit of these excuses and actually call them out?

not holding my breath

Yeah we’ve tried being cheap and it hasn’t worked either. We have neglected the Safety position for far too long. People talk about Moehrig, but that’s a crap shoot. It’s a a gamble to even hope he’s there. Plus the learning curve. Sign Simmons and you have a complete middle with two playmakers. It will cost a lot, but outside of Dlaw and Jaylon no one on D makes money.

On another note, two LB’s are starting in the SB today for the second consecutive year that we saw as backups........smh.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

Every single year we make the convenient excuse that “we cannot afford the better FAs” because of the cap and use that as an excuse to say that we are unable to improve glaring deficiencies on our team. “It’s not that we don’t want to, we just can’t”

the other garbage excuse “realistic super fans” make (in an attempt to show that they understand team building better than the rest if us) is that “we are not one player away”

both of these excuses are of course total garbage

Meanwhile other teams go out an sign the same FAs with the same cap limitations and improve their teams and contend and win CGs and SBs

when will we as fans wake up to the FACT that if we want, we can sign the best FAs like Simmons or Williams at FS and Tomlinson at DT

when will we fans stop giving them the benefit of these excuses and actually call them out?

not holding my breath

I'm with you. The Cowboys overreacted to some bad signings then adopted what I think is a flawed strategy. They convinced themselves the best bet was to skim the bottom of the FA barrel to fill every hole with a guy who could do the job if you held your mouth right and it snowed in April. That way, in theory, they could always draft for talent rather than for need.

I mean, I do get the strategy. It makes a kind of sense. But it means you are ignoring some of the tools in your box, and you are relying on marginal players -- age and injury risks -- to fill at least some positions.

If as last season the cheap signings are almost a total bust, you have a flawed team even given a decent to good draft.

Use your dollars to sign good FAs. You'll be confident you've filled 2-3 holes. Then count on the draft and internal development to fill the rest. Clinton-Dix, Poe, Griffen, Worley, et al -- wasted money. And younger players were deprived development time.

Where I part with some folks is here -- I don't think Jerry Jones has gotten cheap. I just think he has attached himself to a flawed strategy.

I would rather count on a young player, either from the roster or the draft, to fill a hole than to think Ha Ha would suddenly become a quality player again.

 

[Bowdown27]

I’ll have a heart attack if we actually signed Simmons and picked parsons.

 

[Aven8]

I’ll have a heart attack if we actually signed Simmons and picked parsons.

Well the D would vastly improve with just two moves.

 

[Bowdown27]

Well the D would vastly improve with just two moves.

Exactly. I been on the parsons train. Read up how he was second best run grade from pff has ever given. He’s the guy we need roaming the middle