Is our OL still considered Elite?

[Cowboyny]

In my opinion, the Cowboy OL was truly elite under Bill Callahan and hasn't been the same since he left. Pollack failed to get his unit to match previous success and was let go in just 2 season, the hiring of Paul Alexander was an utter disaster. Columbo did a better job replacing Alexander, but was let go this offseason as MM wanted to hire his own staff.

I believe Columbo was running more of a man blocking scheme last season compared to Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme. The biggest benefactor was Collins as he had his best season as a pro. Joe Philbin will bring back the Zone Blocking Scheme, but I have read an old article saying his coaching is more about the fundamentals then the scheme. We heard the same thing from MM regarding the draft, just find us good players and we will scheme around their strengths. This is very refreshing to hear. Let's take a quick look at some of our OL personnel:

-Tyron-it's hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Injuries have taken a toll, but is still a high level blind spot protector in this league. From my own viewpoint, he struggles with edge speed, but if he gets his hands on you, it's game, set, match. He will miss a few starts, but he is still a very good LT in this league.

-Martin-he is also 29 years old, coming off an injury plaque season. Clearly he wasn't right all season and it showed at times. Like Tyron, dealing with back concerns. Even if Martin isn't playing at 100%. he is still better then the majority of Guards in this league.

-Collins-most of us, including myself were scratches our heads when we heard about his extension last season. Boy, were we wrong. Had a tremendous, breakout season, in which he was relatively heathy, which was a big issue for him earlier in his career. He is one of the best RT's in this league and is still getting better.

-Connor Williams-I believe many Cowboy fans don't give him any credit what so ever and believe he is a total bust of a draft pick. First of all, not many rookies are successful plug and play starters, especially learning to play a brand new position. When Connor Williams came in this league, many believe he needs to add more weight to his frame, he did just that after his first season. He clearly was a better player in year 2 and is still developing. Don't be surprised when he beats the competition and starts against this season. Last thing I will say, he isn't a Tackle, there is a reason why they are playing him inside at Guard as he is short armed for the Tackle position.

Is the OL still considered elite? No, but they are still young enough as a group to play at an elite level again. With better coaching, better health and more development it is possible.

 

[Flamma]

I can't argue with your assessment. We'll have to see what kind of play we get from the LG and C to truly see how good this OL is overall. If injuries don't hit our line too bad they can be good to very good.

 

[birdwells1]

In my opinion, the Cowboy OL was truly elite under Bill Callahan and hasn't been the same since he left. Pollack failed to get his unit to match previous success and was let go in just 2 season, the hiring of Paul Alexander was an utter disaster. Columbo did a better job replacing Alexander, but was let go this offseason as MM wanted to hire his own staff.

I believe Columbo was running more of a man blocking scheme last season compared to Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme. The biggest benefactor was Collins as he had his best season as a pro. Joe Philbin will bring back the Zone Blocking Scheme, but I have read an old article saying his coaching is more about the fundamentals then the scheme. We heard the same thing from MM regarding the draft, just find us good players and we will scheme around their strengths. This is very refreshing to hear. Let's take a quick look at some of our OL personnel:

-Tyron-it's hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Injuries have taken a toll, but is still a high level blind spot protector in this league. From my own viewpoint, he struggles with edge speed, but if he gets his hands on you, it's game, set, match. He will miss a few starts, but he is still a very good LT in this league.

-Martin-he is also 29 years old, coming off an injury plaque season. Clearly he wasn't right all season and it showed at times. Like Tyron, dealing with back concerns. Even if Martin isn't playing at 100%. he is still better then the majority of Guards in this league.

-Collins-most of us, including myself were scratches our heads when we heard about his extension last season. Boy, were we wrong. Had a tremendous, breakout season, in which he was relatively heathy, which was a big issue for him earlier in his career. He is one of the best RT's in this league and is still getting better.

-Connor Williams-I believe many Cowboy fans don't give him any credit what so ever and believe he is a total bust of a draft pick. First of all, not many rookies are successful plug and play starters, especially learning to play a brand new position. When Connor Williams came in this league, many believe he needs to add more weight to his frame, he did just that after his first season. He clearly was a better player in year 2 and is still developing. Don't be surprised when he beats the competition and starts against this season. Last thing I will say, he isn't a Tackle, there is a reason why they are playing him inside at Guard as he is short armed for the Tackle position.

Is the OL still considered elite? No, but they are still young enough as a group to play at an elite level again. With better coaching, better health and more development it is possible.

Good question, I would say that they have the potential to be but also have the potential to be very average.
I think last year they were average, imo they've been living off reputation. The right side was pretty good but the left side and center had issues.
There were games where they got whipped with a 4 man front (saints and vikings) in the past that would have never happened.
I know Fred had health issues and I'm not a big fan of Williams (too light in the butt) I think we can definitely upgrade in those areas. If Tyron can stay healthy we can definitely be better than last year.

 

[aria]

I’d say having the second best run blocking line makes them elite.

 

[DuncanIso]

In my opinion, the Cowboy OL was truly elite under Bill Callahan and hasn't been the same since he left. Pollack failed to get his unit to match previous success and was let go in just 2 season, the hiring of Paul Alexander was an utter disaster. Columbo did a better job replacing Alexander, but was let go this offseason as MM wanted to hire his own staff.

I believe Columbo was running more of a man blocking scheme last season compared to Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme. The biggest benefactor was Collins as he had his best season as a pro. Joe Philbin will bring back the Zone Blocking Scheme, but I have read an old article saying his coaching is more about the fundamentals then the scheme. We heard the same thing from MM regarding the draft, just find us good players and we will scheme around their strengths. This is very refreshing to hear. Let's take a quick look at some of our OL personnel:

-Tyron-it's hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Injuries have taken a toll, but is still a high level blind spot protector in this league. From my own viewpoint, he struggles with edge speed, but if he gets his hands on you, it's game, set, match. He will miss a few starts, but he is still a very good LT in this league.

-Martin-he is also 29 years old, coming off an injury plaque season. Clearly he wasn't right all season and it showed at times. Like Tyron, dealing with back concerns. Even if Martin isn't playing at 100%. he is still better then the majority of Guards in this league.

-Collins-most of us, including myself were scratches our heads when we heard about his extension last season. Boy, were we wrong. Had a tremendous, breakout season, in which he was relatively heathy, which was a big issue for him earlier in his career. He is one of the best RT's in this league and is still getting better.

-Connor Williams-I believe many Cowboy fans don't give him any credit what so ever and believe he is a total bust of a draft pick. First of all, not many rookies are successful plug and play starters, especially learning to play a brand new position. When Connor Williams came in this league, many believe he needs to add more weight to his frame, he did just that after his first season. He clearly was a better player in year 2 and is still developing. Don't be surprised when he beats the competition and starts against this season. Last thing I will say, he isn't a Tackle, there is a reason why they are playing him inside at Guard as he is short armed for the Tackle position.

Is the OL still considered elite? No, but they are still young enough as a group to play at an elite level again. With better coaching, better health and more development it is possible.

MColombo was doing an excellent job.

The Pro bowls and the offensive rankings are the proof.

Jerry fired MColombo b/c MM wanted to bring his old Philbin over from GB to run the offense.

Unfortunately for MM, KMoore wasn't going anywhere. Thus, MColombo gets canned so that Philbin would have a job. OL Coach.

Now we can a new blocking scheme.

Fixing what wasn't broken.

 

[Ranched]

My concern is losing Tyron, Zach, or La'el to injury. But the team has done a darn good job of building resiliency along the O line by continuing to invest talent.

Better to have several quality players compete for limited jobs then fill slots with sub-par talent. Also going to be interesting to see how Tomsula and Novak approach the DEFENSIVE side of the ball.

 

[Redball Express]

In my opinion, the Cowboy OL was truly elite under Bill Callahan and hasn't been the same since he left. Pollack failed to get his unit to match previous success and was let go in just 2 season, the hiring of Paul Alexander was an utter disaster. Columbo did a better job replacing Alexander, but was let go this offseason as MM wanted to hire his own staff.

I believe Columbo was running more of a man blocking scheme last season compared to Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme. The biggest benefactor was Collins as he had his best season as a pro. Joe Philbin will bring back the Zone Blocking Scheme, but I have read an old article saying his coaching is more about the fundamentals then the scheme. We heard the same thing from MM regarding the draft, just find us good players and we will scheme around their strengths. This is very refreshing to hear. Let's take a quick look at some of our OL personnel:

-Tyron-it's hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Injuries have taken a toll, but is still a high level blind spot protector in this league. From my own viewpoint, he struggles with edge speed, but if he gets his hands on you, it's game, set, match. He will miss a few starts, but he is still a very good LT in this league.

-Martin-he is also 29 years old, coming off an injury plaque season. Clearly he wasn't right all season and it showed at times. Like Tyron, dealing with back concerns. Even if Martin isn't playing at 100%. he is still better then the majority of Guards in this league.

-Collins-most of us, including myself were scratches our heads when we heard about his extension last season. Boy, were we wrong. Had a tremendous, breakout season, in which he was relatively heathy, which was a big issue for him earlier in his career. He is one of the best RT's in this league and is still getting better.

-Connor Williams-I believe many Cowboy fans don't give him any credit what so ever and believe he is a total bust of a draft pick. First of all, not many rookies are successful plug and play starters, especially learning to play a brand new position. When Connor Williams came in this league, many believe he needs to add more weight to his frame, he did just that after his first season. He clearly was a better player in year 2 and is still developing. Don't be surprised when he beats the competition and starts against this season. Last thing I will say, he isn't a Tackle, there is a reason why they are playing him inside at Guard as he is short armed for the Tackle position.

Is the OL still considered elite? No, but they are still young enough as a group to play at an elite level again. With better coaching, better health and more development it is possible.

I think not.

Maybe a top 10.

We have had too much turnover and injuries to be consider top top.

Win and the perception of what winning does for rep factors heavily.

In 2018..the OL was decent but not good enough.

These guys they have drafted need to come thru.

Badass..our 4th rd draft pick needs to work out as our new center ASAP.

Moving around our backup OL to cover that position is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Eventually after awhile, that will lower the whole quality of our OL.

Guys need to stay in their positions and just improve over time. Everybody wants the big contracts but we are running out of money to keep paying our OL like we are.

We shall see.

 

[Cowboyny]

MColombo was doing an excellent job.

The Pro bowls and the offensive rankings are the proof.

Jerry fired MColombo b/c MM wanted to bring his old Philbin over from GB to run the offense.

Unfortunately for MM, KMoore wasn't going anywhere. Thus, MColombo gets canned so that Philbin would have a job. OL Coach.

Now we can a new blocking scheme.

Fixing what wasn't broken.

-Pro Bowls are more of a popularity vote, the OL had it's struggles last season.
-There were rumblings that Columbo wouldn't call out Frederick's poor play, out of respect for the player.
-We aren't sure if they are completely moving back to zbs, but that was the scheme the OL had the most success with.

 

[Tangle_Foot]

Right now I'm just really hoping for the opportunity to find out. I think we have enough talent and flexibility in and our personnel to be good at the very least. Just hoping we can get this thing started, I could really use a distraction.

 

[Cowboyny]

Good question, I would say that they have the potential to be but also have the potential to be very average.
I think last year they were average, imo they've been living off reputation. The right side was pretty good but the left side and center had issues.
There were games where they got whipped with a 4 man front (saints and vikings) in the past that would have never happened.
I know Fred had health issues and I'm not a big fan of Williams (too light in the butt) I think we can definitely upgrade in those areas. If Tyron can stay healthy we can definitely be better than last year.

I agree about them being average last season. If I remember correctly, Frederick poor play in New Orleans not only lost us the game, but Tyron got injured on the play. Connor will compete to keep his starting role. He may not be a great fit against power plays, but is excellent with quick ones, I believe he hasn't given up 1 sack to Donald in 3 games against him.

 

[Cowboyny]

I think not.

Maybe a top 10.

We have had too much turnover and injuries to be consider top top.

Win and the perception of what winning does for rep factors heavily.

In 2018..the OL was decent but not good enough.

These guys they have drafted need to come thru.

Badass..our 4th rd draft pick needs to work out as our new center ASAP.

Moving around our backup OL to cover that position is like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

Eventually after awhile, that will lower the whole quality of our OL.

Guys need to stay in their positions and just improve over time. Everybody wants the big contracts but we are running out of money to keep paying our OL like we are.

We shall see.

As I said, some of our younger players need more development, that are far from finished products.

 

[nightrain]

Top 5 in league....is that elite?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Depends on what you call elite. Top 3-4? I'm not sure the Cowboys are that.

Bottom line for me is pretty simple - is this OL good enough to win a championship with?

I believe the answer to that question is YES!

 

[dragon_mikal]

No.

 

[birdwells1]

-Pro Bowls are more of a popularity vote, the OL had it's struggles last season.
-There were rumblings that Columbo wouldn't call out Frederick's poor play, out of respect for the player.
-We aren't sure if they are completely moving back to zbs, but that was the scheme the OL had the most success with.

I agree about the pro bowls but I would add that the cowboys are so high profile that our players get even more of a nod for pro bowl considerations.

 

[glimmerman]

Losing Fredbeard hurt. Tyron still had gas in the tank. The rest are good. Real good. Williams will be replaced this year if he can’t get it done. We have good depth and a player returning from injury that could take his job. Plus good depth and a new draft pick people are high on.

 

[CouchCoach]

Unknown until we see the OL and watch them play. C and LG are a ? and that's a big ?

McC seemed to make his OL's work above their talent level in GB, even when he started 5 G's in one game because of injury. It will be a priority with him.

 

[Point-of-the-Star]

PFF had the Cowboy'sOL ranked #4 OL in the NFL. (post season)

They use several metrics. Hard data. Of course they ranked Philthy as #1.

By the eye test I'd rank us a very good last year and that potential is there again this year. Fred Beard admitted as part of his criteria that he didn't play up to his standards in 2019. We should be able to get close to that this year. I say that with this note: In 2018 when we won the division and Fred Beard was out we were ranked #14 by PFF. We don't have to be the #1 OL in football. We just have to be pretty good. (We've been #1 ranked several times and what has it gotten us?)

 

[xwalker]

In my opinion, the Cowboy OL was truly elite under Bill Callahan and hasn't been the same since he left. Pollack failed to get his unit to match previous success and was let go in just 2 season, the hiring of Paul Alexander was an utter disaster. Columbo did a better job replacing Alexander, but was let go this offseason as MM wanted to hire his own staff.

I believe Columbo was running more of a man blocking scheme last season compared to Callahan's Zone Blocking Scheme. The biggest benefactor was Collins as he had his best season as a pro. Joe Philbin will bring back the Zone Blocking Scheme, but I have read an old article saying his coaching is more about the fundamentals then the scheme. We heard the same thing from MM regarding the draft, just find us good players and we will scheme around their strengths. This is very refreshing to hear. Let's take a quick look at some of our OL personnel:

-Tyron-it's hard to believe he is only 29 years old. Injuries have taken a toll, but is still a high level blind spot protector in this league. From my own viewpoint, he struggles with edge speed, but if he gets his hands on you, it's game, set, match. He will miss a few starts, but he is still a very good LT in this league.

-Martin-he is also 29 years old, coming off an injury plaque season. Clearly he wasn't right all season and it showed at times. Like Tyron, dealing with back concerns. Even if Martin isn't playing at 100%. he is still better then the majority of Guards in this league.

-Collins-most of us, including myself were scratches our heads when we heard about his extension last season. Boy, were we wrong. Had a tremendous, breakout season, in which he was relatively heathy, which was a big issue for him earlier in his career. He is one of the best RT's in this league and is still getting better.

-Connor Williams-I believe many Cowboy fans don't give him any credit what so ever and believe he is a total bust of a draft pick. First of all, not many rookies are successful plug and play starters, especially learning to play a brand new position. When Connor Williams came in this league, many believe he needs to add more weight to his frame, he did just that after his first season. He clearly was a better player in year 2 and is still developing. Don't be surprised when he beats the competition and starts against this season. Last thing I will say, he isn't a Tackle, there is a reason why they are playing him inside at Guard as he is short armed for the Tackle position.

Is the OL still considered elite? No, but they are still young enough as a group to play at an elite level again. With better coaching, better health and more development it is possible.

The answer was in your post. It depends on coaching.

They tried to run a mix of zone and man last season but they struggled in zone. Columbo played in a man scheme.

Connor Williams was much better than most fans believe.

La'el was not as good as your assessment. He made a lot of mistakes in the run game. His positioning for 2nd level blocking was often a problem.

The OC position is going to be a big determining factor in the overall quality of the OLine. All of the candidates should be "good enough" but the question is if any can be better than "good enough".

 

[QuincyCarterEra]

Run blocking? Nearly elite

Pass blocking? Good