Grading the Core

[CF74]

Minor fixes for ya'

Hey thanks for the grades.

As for everyone else, hey I would have graded everybody a lot lower but I've had some time to cool off since the last game...

Feel free to re-grade the list, or just whine some more...

 

[jterrell]

Home Grown:

Flozel Adams (12yrs) B- --- penalties lower grade. effort in denver may well have cvost us that game. very good in many other games however,
Andre Gurode (8yrs) B --- Solid but can be confused by blitzers.
Bradie James (7yrs) B --- Solid backer and team leader.
Terence Newman (7yrs) B- --- Good cover skills but poor ball skills make him less risky to attack than Mike Jenkins.
Tony Romo (7yrs) A- --- Hard to say Romo hasn't done everything asked of with safer play while still producing massive yardage. He gets tons of drops from a WR corps with questionable overall hands.
Jason Witten (7yrs) A+ --- As usual.
Patrick Crayton (6yrs) B+ --- Special teams play has been the best of his career by far since he was benched. Not his fault Austin blew up and he was benched.
Marion Barber (5yrs) B- --- Banged up again this year and less dominating runs.
Jay Ratliff (5yrs) A --- Not as disruptive as lastyear but still a top 3 NT.
Marcus Spears (5 yrs) B --- Best season of his career. Has evolved into a very solid player.
DeMarcus Ware (5yrs) A --- Not as consistent as last year and has been out of position a couple times in coverage.
Miles Austin (4yrs) A- --- Hard to imagine a more atmospheric rise being possible.
Anthony Spencer (3yrs) B- --- Much improved and has shown he belongs but his skillset is just a step behind the really good players.
Mike Jenkins (2yrs) A --- Still young and a bit raw, but attacks the ball and can run with anyone.


FA's/Trades:
(These range from 1-5 years on the team.)

Keith Brooking (12yrs) A- --- Play is probably a B but has took on leadership role even from the sidelines.
Leonard Davis (9yrs) B --- Boom or bust guy who drives guys 20 yards or whiffs.
Marc Colombo (8yrs) A- --- Probably best all-around OL and his fiery attitude motivates his OL mates. His loss has corresponded with running game mediocrity.
Kyle Kosier (8yrs) B- --- Smart player whose physical attributes warrant a C but who makes line calls and adjustments.
Ken Hamlin (7yrs) B --- Much better year for Hamlin until he was injured. Not sure he is a better player than Alan Ball when salary is considered.
Roy Williams (6yrs) C --- Average overall performance but has been heating up. If he and Romo can get on same page he is a guy who can keep the chains moving and punish teams that can't tackle.
Igor Olshansky (6yrs) B --- Eats up space better than Canty and costs a lot less. Not a pass rusher but excels in his role.
Mat McBriar (6yrs) A --- Excellent punter.
Gerald Sensabaugh (6yrs) B --- Very nice all-around play and his taped up hand probably cost him at least two picks.
L.P. Ladouceur (5yrs) can't consider this guy the core no matter how long he's been here imho.


Things that have been questioned the most:

Leadership: A --- whatever was lacking isn't now.
Accountability: B --- this is still a bit of a problem but nothing like it was.
Execution: C --- team is not mentally sharp. guys like Witten really shouldn't ever be offsides.
Heart: ?? --- this is one of those fake measures.
Coaching: C --- Play-calling on offense has been up and down. Defense has been caught in the wrong scheme maybe twice all year. Team defends Wade because he handles them like men. If he wins something of note he'll be Dungy, if not he's Cupcake.
Play Calling: C --- see above.
Schemes: B --- We run solid schemes for the personnel we have. Execution and playing have hurt us.

 

[DFWJC]

Nice effort, but I think you almost universally overrated our talent. There are exceptions (and we do have a few real stars) but for most part you can lower almost every one of them by 1/2 to 1 grade.

This does explain why some get so upset at the coaching staff if don't win every game. If you think the talent is on par with some the best teams in NFL history, then a loss would go to the coaches. If the talent is not that, but significantly lower, than maybe the coaches are almost getting what they can out of what is there.

I think it's a little of both.

 

[Chuck 54]

Man, I wish you'd been giving out grades when I was in high school.