I'll Believe It When I See It. Dak/Defense Doldrums

[DUO_CORE]

I will consider us a legit playoff threat if we run the table. There is a plethora of good teams in our path. These teams can beat you in a variety of ways, i.e. Tua and Tyrek, the Bills defense along with Diggs and Josh Allen, that Detroit defense and their brand of Dan Cambell hard nosed foorball, and the Eagles.
Just win baby.

 

[john van brocklin]

I have been a HUGE supporter of Dak and a fan of the team since the late 70's so needless to say like many of you, I've been through the gauntlet with this team.
I think all of us understand that Dak can be stellar, best of the best at times, but we all know that when we need a big win against a good team either for playoff positioning or confidence, either Dak fails to lift the team up or the team itself (Coaching and Defense) lets us down... We can never seem to put things together, maybe the curse of Jimmy has been lifted? Who knows....

The reason for this post is to touch on the thorn that ails most of us fans, that stubborn prick that borrows it's way down into our skin! That is our Cows falling short when we all need it most... I know the game against the Eagles won't make or break our season, but it sure would be nice if we took care of business to get this narrative that we can't beat good teams extinguished..

I'm going into this game excited to see a good ballgame but I would be lying if I said I thought we're going to win it, I wish it was different but this is what this team has done to my belief in them... Think about it, our players are totally setup right now to eat the Cheese! Dak is believing he is the MVP and the rest of the talking heads are putting us in the tops of the league! We always seem to falter when stuff like this exist... Go Cowboys prove ME wrong....

Sounds like a culture issue.
And I agree with you, this team has problems handling success.....

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

It's cute that you think you provided data that proved something...

It's cute that you're too lazy to actually think about it and no how obvious it is. But fine. Teams in cap leagues with Championship droughts of more than 30 years.

NFL: Cardinals, Lions, Vikings, Titans, Chargers, Browns, Falcons, Bengals, Texans, Bears, Commanders, Raiders, Dolphins, Jaguars, Bills, Jets, 49ers, Panthers
NHL: Leafs, Canucks, Sabres, Flyers, Coyotes, Islanders, Flames, Oilers, Sharks, Senators, Panthers, Canadiens
NBA: Kings, Suns, Clippers, Hawks, Knicks, Jazz, Pacers, Nets, Blazers, Wizards, Thunder, 76ers, Hortnets, Magic, Timberwolves

That's basically half of all teams, and it's not even counting droughts for teams like the Chiefs who went 50 years between Super Bowls. The idea that a 30-year drought is something atypical is total nonsense. Expectations to be better than that lack context and are based on the success of the 70s and 90s - an era of the NFL that does not exist or have any comparables in pro sports.

 

[MikeT22]

How about 28 year droughts of no SB appearance and no Conference Championship game appearance.

Also with the cap and FA we’ve seen teams go from the basement to SB within a year or two.

But Dallas is just having a 28 year run of bad luck to not only not win a SB but to not even win a divisional playoff game. But not unusual, right?

 

[5Stars]

How about 28 year droughts of no SB appearance and no Conference Championship game appearance.

Also with the cap and FA we’ve seen teams go from the basement to SB within a year or two.

But Dallas is just having a 28 year run of bad luck to not only not win a SB but to not even win a divisional playoff game. But not unusual, right?

What? Can't you wait another 28 years? That's not that long. lol

 

[Clove]

Our team just needs to stay connected and by that I mean this. On the offensive line, we need to stay connected and keep the pass rushers at bay for at least 2 to 3 seconds. We can't allow pressure on a second, 1.5 seconds. We need to stay connected at the WR position. We need 2 plus wins out of 4 for every pass play, meaning two receivers need to beat their guy. We need the QB to be connected to the entire offense, and same goes for defense. We need players to be connected mentally, physically. We don't need one position to be overly weak. We stay connected, we can take down anyone.

 

[noshame]

I'm not judging anything. Every one of you old guys says the exact same thing all the time.

It doesn't matter if you're a "fan" or not. You have unrealistic expectations.

Yeah, like KC or NE

 

[Chuck 54]

Is Dak playing better? Yes.
Did he finally see the light or get new insight into playing the position after all these years? No, the concept is laughable.
I‘m a huge fan of Dak, and I supported him when others were blaming him for every loss. But Dak is not as talented as Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert.

QBs go as their teams go. Does the QB have an OL he can be comfortable behind? Does he have receivers and TEs that he trusts? Does his offense have a run game or at least enough to tie in with the pass game? Finally, does the offense fit his skill set? Is the offensive system allowing all playmakers to be at their best? Does the OC call a good game that keeps the defense on its toes, or is he predictable? And does he have a defense that can show up?

Dak is playing as good as he has ever played, but he has always been good When not injured. Take away Cooks or one of his OTs, or let the interior get bullied regularly, or have his TE go down; Give him a bad game plan or put him in 3rd and long all the time, or give him a defense that forces every drive to be a long one because we never flip the field position or we need 30+ points every game. Dak will still be the same QB, but he won’t play as well.

If you don’t believe it, just look at recent history with Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, even Burrow. The QB isn’t to blame for every loss and shouldn’t be credited with every win. Football is a team game. QBs can play their best when the team around them and coaches set them up to play their best.

 

[Chuck 54]

28 years without a SB is a long time unless your team is a long term bottom feeder.

28 years is a long time when your team has had the number 1 seed with a bye and all home games, yet has never won a divisional playoff game. That hurts.

I see many fans here for whom every year is SB or failure. That is unrealistic for sure. I would consider an appearance in the NFC title game a huge success this year, but frankly, I’d be encouraged if this team went in as a wild card team and won two playoff games. It’s been a long damn time since that happened.

 

[blueblood70]

I will consider us a legit playoff threat if we run the table. There is a plethora of good teams in our path. These teams can beat you in a variety of ways, i.e. Tua and Tyrek, the Bills defense along with Diggs and Josh Allen, that Detroit defense and their brand of Dan Cambell hard nosed foorball, and the Eagles.
Just win baby.

you almost had me until you mentioned the Lions Defense, it is about as inconsistent as ours and ours is better...their offense is carrying them right now and almost as dangerous as Miami.. Exactly what games are you watching??

But if they have to win out to get your support and belief , well that on you and your ridiculous expectations if you are let down. A lot of them are on the road as well. beat the eagles its the next game in a clear week to week league and it will fall how it falls. will mean nothing going into the actual playoff games.

 

[rnr_honeybadger]

Ah, the arrogance of youth, I remember it well.

That’s because they spend majority of the time with their mouths open and head empty. By the time they realize they need to close the noisemaker and listen more it’s usually too late.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

The arrogance of data and context. In cap leagues, 30 years isn't a long championship drought.

Nostalgia of two "dynasties" in ~30 years - before the salary cap - has skewed the perspective of fans who were alive for the first one. The idea that 28 years is a long drought is false and the idea that b/c a QB hasn't won in 8 years means he never can - couple with the ridiculous idea that you can just easily find a replacement and build a team around him - is also false.

It's not arrogance. It's perspective. The best team doesn't always win, and what happened 5, 10, 15, 28 years ago isn't indicative of what will happen next year.

Entitled is the word you are looking for.

 

[CWR]

I have been a HUGE supporter of Dak and a fan of the team since the late 70's so needless to say like many of you, I've been through the gauntlet with this team.
I think all of us understand that Dak can be stellar, best of the best at times, but we all know that when we need a big win against a good team either for playoff positioning or confidence, either Dak fails to lift the team up or the team itself (Coaching and Defense) lets us down... We can never seem to put things together, maybe the curse of Jimmy has been lifted? Who knows....

The reason for this post is to touch on the thorn that ails most of us fans, that stubborn prick that borrows it's way down into our skin! That is our Cows falling short when we all need it most... I know the game against the Eagles won't make or break our season, but it sure would be nice if we took care of business to get this narrative that we can't beat good teams extinguished..

I'm going into this game excited to see a good ballgame but I would be lying if I said I thought we're going to win it, I wish it was different but this is what this team has done to my belief in them... Think about it, our players are totally setup right now to eat the Cheese! Dak is believing he is the MVP and the rest of the talking heads are putting us in the tops of the league! We always seem to falter when stuff like this exist... Go Cowboys prove ME wrong....

I hear you, but I don't believe in Philly. I think their defense is trash and they need everything to go right to beat us. I expect Dak, CD, and Ferguson to light them up. I am more concerned about the defense but think ultimately they will do enough and we win decidedly.

 

[blueblood70]

Is Dak playing better? Yes.
Did he finally see the light or get new insight into playing the position after all these years? No, the concept is laughable.
I‘m a huge fan of Dak, and I supported him when others were blaming him for every loss. But Dak is not as talented as Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes or Justin Herbert.

QBs go as their teams go. Does the QB have an OL he can be comfortable behind? Does he have receivers and TEs that he trusts? Does his offense have a run game or at least enough to tie in with the pass game? Finally, does the offense fit his skill set? Is the offensive system allowing all playmakers to be at their best? Does the OC call a good game that keeps the defense on its toes, or is he predictable? And does he have a defense that can show up?

Dak is playing as good as he has ever played, but he has always been good When not injured. Take away Cooks or one of his OTs, or let the interior get bullied regularly, or have his TE go down; Give him a bad game plan or put him in 3rd and long all the time, or give him a defense that forces every drive to be a long one because we never flip the field position or we need 30+ points every game. Dak will still be the same QB, but he won’t play as well.

If you don’t believe it, just look at recent history with Mahomes, Allen, Herbert, even Burrow. The QB isn’t to blame for every loss and shouldn’t be credited with every win. Football is a team game. QBs can play their best when the team around them and coaches set them up to play their best.

When's the last time Prescott has had a strong offensive line or run game in a layioff game say SF or rams ? Never it was rhetorical and yes team for sure Dak cant be expected to carry his team and many qbs can NOT, would be nice if the teams gets off the bus with him for once in playoff game against a better team.

That's literally been carrying this offense for about four or five weeks now, he's doing it without a run game without a strong offensive line... That won't happen in the bigger games against the better teams he will need help... Dak was literally probably the best player on the team or on the field for that matter against the Eagles five weeks ago. didnt win because the team didnt step up. Penalties, bad calls, dropped passes, and yup not much of run game and OL had him running all night..what was it 4 sacks? can't remember but he escaped and made plays. That about all you can ask.. Freaking Terrance turnstile Steele i believe worst game of the year for him..

 

[CWR]

I'm not judging anything. Every one of you old guys says the exact same thing all the time.

It doesn't matter if you're a "fan" or not. You have unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic expectations is kind of the definition of being a fan.

That's not to say you need to be miserable along the way.

It's entertainment and some of us lose perspective.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Unrealistic expectations is kind of the definition of being a fan.

Eh, I don't really buy that. In-season maybe, but the idea of expecting a team to win a Super Bowl every X number of years seems pointless to me.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

Yeah, like KC or NE

Who had SB droughts of 50 and 40 years, respectively.

Proves my point.

 

[CWR]

Eh, I don't really buy that. In-season maybe, but the idea of expecting a team to win a Super Bowl every X number of years seems pointless to me.

Yes in season when playing well. Although I never expect it in a given year. Always take the field, but eventually yes I expect to break through. If we keep consistently making the playoffs we're a contender and I expect/hope to get one eventually.

Although this year I'm hopeful I don't expect anything. So maybe it's just more of a sooner or later.

 

[America's Cowboy]

If you jumped off the Dak bandwagon, you are always welcome back. There is always room. It feels good to see many of his critics now coming back on board. We all see the work and improvement in performance Dak has made this season. Yes, Dak and the Cowboys need to still prove they can get it done in the playoffs where it matters most, but it sure feels good to see Dak improving drastically than not. Cheers to anyone jumping back on the Dak bandwagon!

 

[MikeT22]

What? Can't you wait another 28 years? That's not that long. lol

Especially in a cap league