Is it fair to say the entire season might ride on Torrin Tucker's success?

[TruBlueCowboy]

Left tackle is a vital position for any team but it's especially disturbing to think how much the Cowboys depend on it right now:

• The revival of Drew Bledsoe's career all depends on protecting him. It's a miracle how different he looks from Buffalo to Dallas. But he's known as a guy you can rattle in the pocket, and for whatever reason, more than most veteran quarterbacks, he makes poor decisions and loses the ball when the protection breaks down. He could become Buffalo Bledsoe very quickly even with our receiving threats if Tucker doesn't do a good job. I would hate to see Bledsoe gain his ol' confidence back only to lose it all in a few weeks because Tucker can't protect his blindside.
• The Cowboys are already helping a rookie tackle on the other side. They are limited in what type of protection they can offer Tucker on some plays, and Bledsoe needs the confidence someone like Flozell gave him when Petitti had his days like he did against Strahan.
• More than other teams, the Cowboys depend on their tight end as a receiving threat, and leaving him in to help Tucker is only going to limit the offense and Drew Bledsoe's rebirth.
• Julius Jones is having a difficult time getting off to a smooth start. He gained his most yards last year off left tackle. He needs that dependable blocker if he's going to gain 100 yards again this year. The running back by committee approach behind him has some promising youth but isn't good enough at this point to get by with a poor left tackle.
• There really is no hope after Tucker. A vet journeyman. A slow Larry Allen who shouldn't play anything other than offensive guard. A wide-eyed rookie in Petitti who probably needs to stay on the right side for now, and even if he does move to the left, who replaces him?

Is it safe to say that if Torrin Tucker doesn't get his act together this year, the Cowboys are doomed? I hate to put it all on one player, but more than other teams, the Cowboys really do depend on Flozell.

If you had asked me last year if the Cowboys could make it if they had to depend on Torrin Tucker, all you would have heard was a big gulp. I hope Tucker shows us what he's made of this year. I'd love to see a New England Patriots story in Dallas this year. (i.e. the unknown backup does an admirable job replacing the starter)

 

[LaTunaNostra]

Good post. I am worried too about the trickle down effect of the loss of decent blocking, be it from primary sources like Flo, or secondary like JJ and Patrick. And about the seepage into weapons loss as we shift to compensate.

But our depth is not just greater this year, our versatility is as well. We have a new speed threat in the backfield with TT and two downfield with Price and Terry. We have players like Pierce and MBIII whose talents are still largely untapped. It is up to the coaching staff to mine them. Injuries mean creativity become even more critical.

I really don't want to see Jason becoming anything like a full time blocking te, tho chip and run is a strategy he seem to excel at. Key is a willing blocker but I don't want to lose his possession skills just as Jason's may be compromised by increased protection needs. But Sean Ryan should be back soon, and week by week Rob Petitti should become less dependent on Dan or other help. Losing Flo was a blow, and no one needs reminding what a QB's blind side is, but with Bledsoe's up-the-middle history, I'd be more concerned if we lost Larry or Marco.

It's scary, all right, but I have faith in the offensive coaching staff to utilize our improved depth to get more talent involved, just as the defensive staff has created a sucessful rotation. And in the blocking, both pass and run, to improve overall as the season wears on.

I don't think the season hangs on Torrin Tucker. Unless he takes a dive in the first drive tomorrow and ends Bledsoe's season, he too will be a work in progress with both good days and bad, and the guy(s) alongside him will need to pitch in an extra helping.

 

[lspain1]

TruBlue, everyone feels the same way. There were issues with run blocking before this happened. Parcells has been talking Tucker up which I think is a bad sign. If he thought our young Torrin could handle it he would have made vague noises and let them come after him.

If we become one dimensional and can't pass protect either, what happens then? The worst case scenario is a poor one as you indicated. We'll see this week if he can handle it. Everyone is rooting for him but the analysts clearly think we are in trouble.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

If our season depends on our Left Tackle, then we don't have a very good team.

We are not the first team to ever be hit by the injury bug. There are several team starting rookies on the OL because of injuries or otherwise. It is up to Payton and Parcells to design plays to offset the defenses pension for taking advantage of Tucker.

If they can't minimize it, we don't have a very good team.

 

[Chuck 54]

NO....it's not fair at all. The entire season hasn't depended on Pettitti's success either, mainly because we've been giving him help and leaving Adams alone on his side.

If Tucker turns out to play as poorly as some fans think, then he can be covered for easily...he's an above average run blocker...BP has even said he may be the most explosive blocker in the run game. We can help him in the passing game if he needs it just as we did Pettitti. If we help Tucker and then Pettitti's man starts wrecking havoc in the backfield, does that mean our season depended on Tucker? Or does the rookie RT and the center of our OL have to take some responsibility as well?

Tucker is not going to play as well as Adams...no one should expect it. But he will be okay if we protect him the way we were protecting our RT...the question is how the entire line will play because we surely haven't seen satisfactory play from Johnson in all cases, and Rivera has definitely been less than a ProBowl OG. Tucker has to do a decent, serviceable job, but I think the other guys have to step it up, and Pettitti has to hold his own without being protected as much as in previous weeks.

 

[Jimz31]

No, I wouldn't say that it would be fair to put it all on him.

IF he plays poorly, it would be up to the coaches to compensate for it....use it to their advantage. If the defenses are getting by him, they could always call a play directed his way to keep the end honest...having to worry about the run as well.

I think he will play relatively well. Hopefully, he will surprise us all and become one of the top tackles in the league. Unlikely, but crazier things have happened.

 

[Sarge]

If our season depends on our Left Tackle, then we don't have a very good team.

.

That is simply not true.

 

[Yakuza Rich]

If our season depends on our Left Tackle, then we don't have a very good team.

I disagree. If the Left Tackle is a complete turnstile that continually gets called for penalties, it can hold a great team hostage.

I think the thing is that you can't excuse the coach for a poor season just because the LT got hurt.

I'm not going to criticize Parcells because I don't know how this will play out. But I think he made a mistake of not having more depth at tackle. I can see why he did it as Flozell doesn't get injured much, but it was still an error in judgement.

Hopefully it won't kill the Cowboys.


Rich.......

 

[Sarge]

If our season depends on our Left Tackle, then we don't have a very good team.

I disagree. If the Left Tackle is a complete turnstile that continually gets called for penalties, it can hold a great team hostage.

.

 

[Chuck 54]

If losing 1 player on the OL, no matter how devastating, throws us into turmoil and totally stymies anything we can do on offense running or throwing, then the blame would rest on Parcells for not making sure he had a backup who could at least scrape by. If Bledsoe were injured, I would expect our offense to take a huge hit, but if we totally tanked because Romo and Henson both suck totally, I'd blame that situation on Parcells as well.

I don't hold the coach/gm in hiding to have backup players as good as the starters...I don't expect us to move along without missing a beat when losing a key player, but I do expect us to be able to compensate and still be competitive...that's his responsibility. He's the coach who decided to go into the season with only 3 OTs, only 1 guaranteed to be a decent starter in Adams. He knew he was playing a rookie at RT who could have imploded or still have trouble as the season wears on and he wears down as rookies are apt to do, but he is also the one who decided to keep only Tucker as the backup to both guys and to not even have an OT on the practice squad.

I think we'll be okay because if we can't do anything at all and it's all Tucker's fault, then we have Parcells as the main culprit, not Tucker. That's my opinion. At this point, I'll trust Parcells that Tucker was better than anyone else he could have signed before the season started. Tucker did okay in the Philly game without the offense being designed for him...he had to do what Adams was doing. This week there will surely be some various things going on to help him.

I still think tomorrow's game will depend more on how our other 4 starters on the OL perform while we protect Tucker from time to time.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

Left tackle is a vital position for any team but it's especially disturbing to think how much the Cowboys depend on it right now:

• The revival of Drew Bledsoe's career all depends on protecting him. It's a miracle how different he looks from Buffalo to Dallas. But he's known as a guy you can rattle in the pocket, and for whatever reason, more than most veteran quarterbacks, he makes poor decisions and loses the ball when the protection breaks down. He could become Buffalo Bledsoe very quickly even with our receiving threats if Tucker doesn't do a good job. I would hate to see Bledsoe gain his ol' confidence back only to lose it all in a few weeks because Tucker can't protect his blindside.
• The Cowboys are already helping a rookie tackle on the other side. They are limited in what type of protection they can offer Tucker on some plays, and Bledsoe needs the confidence someone like Flozell gave him when Petitti had his days like he did against Strahan.
• More than other teams, the Cowboys depend on their tight end as a receiving threat, and leaving him in to help Tucker is only going to limit the offense and Drew Bledsoe's rebirth.
• Julius Jones is having a difficult time getting off to a smooth start. He gained his most yards last year off left tackle. He needs that dependable blocker if he's going to gain 100 yards again this year. The running back by committee approach behind him has some promising youth but isn't good enough at this point to get by with a poor left tackle.
• There really is no hope after Tucker. A vet journeyman. A slow Larry Allen who shouldn't play anything other than offensive guard. A wide-eyed rookie in Petitti who probably needs to stay on the right side for now, and even if he does move to the left, who replaces him?

Is it safe to say that if Torrin Tucker doesn't get his act together this year, the Cowboys are doomed? I hate to put it all on one player, but more than other teams, the Cowboys really do depend on Flozell.

If you had asked me last year if the Cowboys could make it if they had to depend on Torrin Tucker, all you would have heard was a big gulp. I hope Tucker shows us what he's made of this year. I'd love to see a New England Patriots story in Dallas this year. (i.e. the unknown backup does an admirable job replacing the starter)

Nice post TB.

Offensively a lot hinges on Tucker at this point.

I've never been that in "awe" of Adams. I think Tucker can give us close to what Adams has so far this season.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

NO....it's not fair at all. The entire season hasn't depended on Pettitti's success either, mainly because we've been giving him help and leaving Adams alone on his side.

If Tucker turns out to play as poorly as some fans think, then he can be covered for easily...he's an above average run blocker...BP has even said he may be the most explosive blocker in the run game. We can help him in the passing game if he needs it just as we did Pettitti. If we help Tucker and then Pettitti's man starts wrecking havoc in the backfield, does that mean our season depended on Tucker? Or does the rookie RT and the center of our OL have to take some responsibility as well?

Tucker is not going to play as well as Adams...no one should expect it. But he will be okay if we protect him the way we were protecting our RT...the question is how the entire line will play because we surely haven't seen satisfactory play from Johnson in all cases, and Rivera has definitely been less than a ProBowl OG. Tucker has to do a decent, serviceable job, but I think the other guys have to step it up, and Pettitti has to hold his own without being protected as much as in previous weeks.

Adams hasn't knocked my socks off so far this season.

 

[notherbob]

Nice post TB.

Offensively a lot hinges on Tucker at this point.

I've never been that in "awe" of Adams. I think Tucker can give us close to what Adams has so far this season.

I've never felt that Adams has lived up to anywhere near his potential. I thought Parcells had rocks in his head giving Flo such a huge signing bonus in 2003 and Flo hasn't changed my mind about that since.

While I don't really expect it, it wouldn't surprise me at all for Tucker to do about as good as Flo, but with fewer false start penalties. Hopefully, he will be more motivateable than Flo. Maybe he will even act as if he cares about something. I always saw Flo as being stoic to the point of apathy.

 

[Paniolo22]

Nice post TB.

Offensively a lot hinges on Tucker at this point.

I've never been that in "awe" of Adams. I think Tucker can give us close to what Adams has so far this season.

I feel the same way. Flo has too many brain farts for my liking, but he was pretty good. Fortunately, he hasn't set the bar really high for TT to reach. If Tucker falters however, we will have some problems.

 

[FLcowboy]

Nice post TB.

Offensively a lot hinges on Tucker at this point.

I've never been that in "awe" of Adams. I think Tucker can give us close to what Adams has so far this season.

I agree with you. Adams has never been a dominating left tackle. He plays a loose position, giving up bull rushes occasionally, and too many times jumps the count. Was he the best tackle on the team? Yes. Was he the best ever? No.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

I think we have Tackles on our team that will cut the mustard at LT besides Tucker so I would have to give a resounding N-O, Tucker is NOT key to our season at LT.

 

[SilverStarCowboy]

I've never felt that Adams has lived up to anywhere near his potential. Maybe he will even act as if he cares about something.

Flo never had a mean streak, maybe Tucker has one.