How good has the Offensive Line really been?

[Bullflop]

OL Line Coach, Joe Philbin, will surely have his work cut out for him this year if this team is intent upon returning our OL to it's former glory of 2016. That was an exceptional year for them and one that will be extremely difficult to match, considering our current situation.

Be that as it may, I'm hopeful that guys like Biadasz and maybe Connor McGovern and others can return them to their former level of performance. There's upside there, if I'm not mistaken. The question to be answered is whether or not they're likely, or not, to be given an opportunity to do so.

 

[DuncanIso]

Not the best, but definitely top 6ish. Having a mobile QB makes up for any woes. It is certainly not the biggest team concern currently.

Philbin is the OL coach.

you should worry.

he’s planning on “fixing” it.

 

[DuncanIso]

OL Line Coach, Joe Philbin, will surely have his work cut out for him this year if this team is intent upon returning our OL to it's former glory of 2016. That was an exceptional year for them and one that will be extremely difficult to match, considering our current situation.

Be that as it may, I'm hopeful that guys like Biadasz and maybe Connor McGovern and others can return them to their former level of performance. There's upside there, if I'm not mistaken. The question to be answered is whether or not they're likely, or not, to be given an opportunity to do so.

Philbin was hired because he is big buddies with Mike.

the OL under Colombo was strong.

 

[plasticman]

Within a three year period, two different Cowboy RB's led the league in rushing for the season.

In a year in which the starting RB and the starting QB were both rookies, the Cowboys went 13-3.

In one of their seasons, the RB led the league in rushing and the QB was ranked #1 in passer rating.

In four of the last five seasons three Cowboy O-linemen were Pro Bowlers.

In one of their seasons three Cowboy O-linemen were selected as 1st Team All Pros, meaning the Cowboys had 3 of the best 5 O-linemen that year.

They have a combined 17 Pro Bowl selections and 7 1st Team All Pro selections within a 7 year period.

And yet........none of them have reached the age of 30.

That's how good they are.

 

[quickccc]

OL Line Coach, Joe Philbin, will surely have his work cut out for him this year if this team is intent upon returning our OL to it's former glory of 2016. That was an exceptional year for them and one that will be extremely difficult to match, considering our current situation.

Be that as it may, I'm hopeful that guys like Biadasz and maybe Connor McGovern and others can return them to their former level of performance. There's upside there, if I'm not mistaken. The question to be answered is whether or not they're likely, or not, to be given an opportunity to do so.

nah, ..Philibin shouldn't have to have his work cut out for him.. with this much talent at hand. It's a luxury he has walked into. it would be a different story if it had average talent.

-And he doesn't need to get back to 2016 days. He just needs to sustain the performance level of the pass blocking, which was simply outstanding in 2019, 2nd best in least sacks allowed- especially considering the pass game overtook the run game, and keep in mind that we also placed greater emphasis on pushing the ball downfield which takes longer developing drop steps.

- And even with Dak's stronger effort in setting, reading and quickly getting ball outta his throwing hand, there
were times when he held it a bit longer waiting for plays to develop and uncover, and the OL still gave him that much more pocket time to throw the ball.

- The other flip side of it , is we need to recapture the old 2016 Zeke, the guy that used to strike sheer fear in a defense for breaking the big one to the house. Pollard has that ability, Zeke needs to recapture it.
The Splash runs were a huge fearing weaponry for this offense in 2016.

 

[quickccc]

OL Line Coach, Joe Philbin, will surely have his work cut out for him this year if this team is intent upon returning our OL to it's former glory of 2016. That was an exceptional year for them and one that will be extremely difficult to match, considering our current situation.

Be that as it may, I'm hopeful that guys like Biadasz and maybe Connor McGovern and others can return them to their former level of performance. There's upside there, if I'm not mistaken. The question to be answered is whether or not they're likely, or not, to be given an opportunity to do so.

Early with both short on NFL game experience, it could actually take some time for two " rookies" to adjust
to speed and nuisances of the NFL.
- McGovern never made it into camp with his pec tear and was IR'ed. While he is not as athletic as Williams,
he supposedly is a more lower base stronger core player than Williams

- Tyler BaddAzzz was well regarded Rimington award winner for College's Most Outstanding Center. i really think his natural instincts, sound technique, physical demeanor and knack for the game will serve us well,
and he will developed into a very effective,solid center for us. The biggest key is how he can handle the better
3-4 NTs by himself and how he reacts and adjusts to "games " upfront . The stunts, twists and overload and delayed blitzes. And i'm sure he can handle shot-gun snaps.

- Tyron Smith isn't elite, dominant anymore imo. You have to wonder if the various injuries may be taking that much more a toll and if he could pull a Fredrick and suddenly walk away from the game. We have to be prepared for such a case. But he is still one of the better LT's in the NFL. He is still solid and effective in both areas on run/pass block.

- Lael has developed into one of the better RTs in the NFL. He only allowed two sacks in
an entire 16 game season. A couple of years ago was really a struggle for him but since Columbo took over
and groomed him, he's been a much more improved player. i wouldn't even rule out a future move to LT
should issues force Tyron out of the game.

- Williams gets a lot of unfair fan hate, imo. Especially for a guy that only gave up one sack in 2019.
He's improved his strength core, but that still is not his game, But he made Fletcher Cox a non-factor
in 1st philly blowout win and he probably the most athletic OL on the roster. .
His main issues may be more mental mistakes such as penalties; false starts, holding, assignment lapses (see Vikes) frankly he's near not horrible as some fans make him out to be.
He's serviceable but there's pressure for him, a 2nd rounder to be dominant, a pro bowler.

- Despite hampering injuries, such as knee and back problems that has hampering him, Zack still is
playing at a high level. Not quite as in his earlier years, but no questions it's been about the injuries.
When healthy he gets movement vs run, he is difficult to beat vs pass and he can get out on screens
pulling and trapping. Still easily one of the better OGs in entire NFL.

 

[buybuydandavis]

We will not actually know until we see it w/ an NFL quality O behind it. It was not that under JG/Callahan/Linehan. There were signs that it will be under Mo, and I'm excited to see what this young gentleman can do w/ a real NFL quality HC to guide him.

Oline was great in 2014 under Callahan. Tony, Murray, Dez, all great. Even with Linehan/Garrett "coaching", it was Mr. Kill Kill Kill driving the bus on the field.

Likely off the field too. Butler said when he came to the team in 2015, Tony was making the weekly offensive game plan. Have to think they carried over whatever they were doing on offense in 2014 to 2015, so 2014 was likely Tony making the game plan too.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Fans won't believe it, but Connor Williams was probably the 3rd best player on the OL last season before he was out injured.

Connor Williams

• Connor Williams was a little inconsistent for the first 3 games but he was playing very well after that.
• His angles/timing in getting out to run block on the 2nd level were terrific.
• His ability to pick up and pass off stunting DL and bllitzers was also terrific.
• He tended to steer pass rushers wide much like an OT and fans think that means he was getting beat.
  • In reality if the pass rusher never comes within 2 yards of the QB then CW has done his job.
• His lack of power is also over-blown by fans and pseudo-media. When he can block from a balanced position, he has decent power even goal-line/short-yardage.
  • The lack of bulk/power was just an issue when he had to reach out from a non-ideal body position.
  • Tyron can reach out and toss a defender to the ground with 1 hand even when he is off-balance and reaching far outside his body. Most mortals can't do that.

We got Williams young. He's just 23 after 2 seasons. Williams probably won't be at full strength for at least a couple years more. Even Tyron didn't make a pro bowl before 23. None of our studs made All Pro before 24, and they were all HOF quality at their best.

I still think he's more of a natural T, and power at G will never be his game, but people should appreciate him more. And expect him to start at LG. He's just a much better pass protector McGovern at this point, and likely always will be.

 

[Aviano90]

The offensive line has been good for both Dak and Zeke. Not sure why fans want to try to use it as a defense for either player.

 

[Bullflop]

the problem is, Jerry fired Colombo because Mike wanted his buddy Philbin to be the OL coach.

it wasn’t about results. If the decision was about results, Colombo would have been given a raise, not fired.

it stopped being about football. It’s about hiring your buddy.

The Cowboys were ranked #5 last year with some very good talent to their credit. I think you're overrating Colombo. I'll still wait to see what Philbin does in 2020 and beyond. Like Colombo, he'll have some very good talent to help his cause. The results should prove interesting, despite the fact that a couple of changes might very possibly be undertaken for that unit. If those changes materialize, be prepared to take that into consideration. I'm really not expecting the transition to this new staff to be free of roadblocks, especially with a plague at their doorstep.