Is the O line the key to everything?

[Kellsbells]

Hear me out. My point may be painfully obvious to some, but every time I read criticisms of this team, my thoughts go to the offensive line. This Cowboys team has to be the most criticized 12-win team in history. They are a couple overtime losses away from being a 14-win team. You could argue that they should have won those 2 games, but that's the way it goes in the NFL. Every team has games like that.
We've all seen what this team can do when they are firing on all cylinders. To the extent that they've been inconsistent, I believe that can all be traced back to the injuries and shuffling along the offensive line. It produces a domino effect that affects every other facet of the game. Even an extra second, while imperceptible to the casual viewer, can make all the difference in the world.
Here are some of the effects of an ineffective O line that I'm speaking of:

• Holding penalties
• False start penalties
• Less time in the pocket for the quarterback
• The difference between 'good Dak' and 'bad Dak'
• The effectiveness of the running game
• The ability of the WR's to get open or create separation
• Having to force passes leads to interceptions
• Time of possession
• Field position
• Bad field position puts the defense in a tough position
• Time of possession leads to a worn-down defense

I think that we will only go as far as this O line takes us.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Absolutely! 100%. Same goes for our D-line. Our big guys need to win their battles at the line of scrimmage for this team to have a chance to win during the playoffs.

 

[CATCH17]

Of course it is.

Olines can dictate games.

Problem is that most NFL offensive linemen are terrible and Dallas is fortunate to accumulate the quality of linemen they have.

 

[noshame]

Ahhh the trenches

 

[Wilson]

We need to keep investing in both the OL and DL for the next year or two.

 

[Teague31]

Always has been. Always will be.

 

[shabazz]

are the Niners strong in the trenches? I’m just asking

 

[JohnsKey19]

DL as well. Not going to "stop" their running game. But have to make enough run stuffs throughout the game to create some 3rd & longs.

 

[BEARCATSKLZ]

are the Niners strong in the trenches? I’m just asking

Yes... most strong running teams have great o-lines... most strong run stopping teams have good D-lines...

 

[Kellsbells]

DL as well. Not going to "stop" their running game. But have to make enough run stuffs throughout the game to create some 3rd & longs.

But a tired, worn-down DL becomes ineffective.

 

[cowboybish]

Hear me out. My point may be painfully obvious to some, but every time I read criticisms of this team, my thoughts go to the offensive line. This Cowboys team has to be the most criticized 12-win team in history. They are a couple overtime losses away from being a 14-win team. You could argue that they should have won those 2 games, but that's the way it goes in the NFL. Every team has games like that.
We've all seen what this team can do when they are firing on all cylinders. To the extent that they've been inconsistent, I believe that can all be traced back to the injuries and shuffling along the offensive line. It produces a domino effect that affects every other facet of the game. Even an extra second, while imperceptible to the casual viewer, can make all the difference in the world.
Here are some of the effects of an ineffective O line that I'm speaking of:

• Holding penalties
• False start penalties
• Less time in the pocket for the quarterback
• The difference between 'good Dak' and 'bad Dak'
• The effectiveness of the running game
• The ability of the WR's to get open or create separation
• Having to force passes leads to interceptions
• Time of possession
• Field position
• Bad field position puts the defense in a tough position
• Time of possession leads to a worn-down defense

I think that we will only go as far as this O line takes us.

I think our o line can win the battle but I don’t think our D line can.

 

[Wezsh0T]

Short answer: Yes. Long answer: Yes.

 

[America's Cowboy]

are the Niners strong in the trenches? I’m just asking

What's helped the 9ers is sucking so badly in recent years that they've been able to draft at the very top of the draft and be able to pickup players like Joey Bosa, etc.

Sadly, that has not been the case for our Cowboys.