Is trying to run back 2016 our only hope?

[WillieBeamen]

Ill be honest, 9 years later, I have 0 confidence to get anywhere with Dak. You can place him on the Eagles and I still dont think he wouldve beat the Chiefs.

 

[John813]

Only hope? I hope not. What they may do? Probably.

The offensive line is no longer dominant. It's being rebuilt currently.
The defense is a mess, outside of Parsons and a few others when healthy.

One thing if the line was half full of All-Pros and then pro-bowl level talent. We still need to see growth from Beebe, RG is unknown and the LT spot is still a question mark.
We knew back in 2016 as long as they had a good back, the line would open lanes as big as the interstate. The defense knew we wanted to run, and outside of the Giants front 4, Dallas had they way with most defenses. Even if we drafted Jeanty/Hampton etc, there's no guarantee this line would be that road grader the 2016 line was.

Our only hope is to rebuild the defensive line, figure out who the hell is the LT and RG will be and just continue to build. Back when Smith and Martin were here from 21-23 was their time to try and run it back to 2016.

 

[jazzcat22]

Yeah because free agency and the draft are already over

Thank you for your thoughts.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

More specifically and more concisely, we need to be more physical. We need to be able to run the ball, use playaction, stop the run, and take the ball away. Do that, and the rest should fall into place.

 

[Coogiguy03]

Thank you for your thoughts.

nobody appreciates them more!!

 

[Beaker42]

I think you're on to something. The only reason Eze was drafted was to help our inury prone broken-down QB Romo. Fast forward to today, now Dak is that same injury prone QB and we need a strong running game to keep him upright.

 

[visionary]

Show me the T Fred, T Smith and Martin on this OL and i might sign up

Zeke was not the only reason
We had a great OL and Dak was a true run threat
This team is nowhere near

 

[Chocolate Lab]

Ill be honest, 9 years later, I have 0 confidence to get anywhere with Dak. You can place him on the Eagles and I still dont think he wouldve beat the Chiefs.

And that's the pre-2024 Dak. If what we saw last year is his new normal, we have zero chance until he's off the books. It's been a while now, so I think some have forgotten how atrocious he was this year before he got hurt.

 

[DallasEast]

nobody appreciates them more!!

I am pretty sure @nobody does not appreciate you speaking for him.

 

[fivetwos]

Show me the T Fred, T Smith and Martin on this OL and i might sign up

Zeke was not the only reason
We had a great OL and Dak was a true run threat
This team is nowhere near

They also stole an extra first rounder in Collins, and got really lucky in milking all that Learys knee had to offer.

I do think they realize the importance of the OL finally, but they have to use premium picks, which is part of why they are short at the skill positions and DL.

Other teams get away with one, maybe two high picks on the OL.

Last year they had three ones, a three and a big contract as the starting five, and weren’t even very good.

 

[75boyz]

Ill be honest, 9 years later, I have 0 confidence to get anywhere with Dak. You can place him on the Eagles and I still dont think he wouldve beat the Chiefs.

Exactly.

 

[75boyz]

How many playoff games did Dallas win in 2016? So you want to run it back for more mediocrity.

Yep, if it's the same guy leading the team on the field the same results will happen again.

 

[khiladi]

If we started Romo, 2016 would have been the best team.

Dak was horrible against the Giants and Vikings, the only legitimate defense he faced that year. And the game Romo played in against the Eagles.

 

[khiladi]

Ill be honest, 9 years later, I have 0 confidence to get anywhere with Dak. You can place him on the Eagles and I still dont think he wouldve beat the Chiefs.

He wouldn’t..

Doesn’t have the legs Hurts did to make an impact.. He’d have to throw against the Chiefs.

 

[CowboyFanInLexKy]

Looking for any reason for hope this year? Maybe this is it.

Let me ask you a question. When were we the closest during the Prescott years of breaking this near 30 year drought since a Championship game appearance?

I would argue it was his rookie season. Which makes no sense but we're talking about Prescott here. You could say the McCarthy teams were better but they got outclassed in every playoff defeat. They shouldn't have won those games. The 2016 team didn't get outclassed. They should have won it. They were better. They were closer. They were Championship Game caliber.

How did they get there? Dominant run game and a top 5 defense.

Now I know now is when you say no crap, we all want to do that with Prescott. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out ...and you can get away with talking to me that way safely outside of the range of my fists.

But don't forget one of the biggest keys to that 2016 "success" (as much as you can get with Jerry). A truly transcendent talent at running back. What he's become is sickening but that dude was special when he entered the league. He should have won 3 straight rushing titles his first three years in the league if not for a bogus suspension.

So I'm not talking about merely beefing up the lines and drafting an Omarion Hampton or TreVeyon Henderson in the draft. Really good players who should improve the offense and be productive pros. I'm talking about getting the guy who is advertised as special. The unique one. The guy who can make everyone around them instantly better by his presence. That's what Ezekiel Elliott did. He was the alpha that carried his QB beta.

Now the two teams won't be exactly the same. We almost certainly won't have as good of an offensive line even with improvement and we won't have Prescott's mobility but this team will have some advantages over that one too. Namely at pass rusher and the return and kicking game. (Turpin comes back in this scenario)

I don't believe it's usually a good long term decision to draft a RB high in the first round of the draft but I'm wondering with this team and this group of coaches and players if focusing on the run game and defense as well as drafting Ashton Jeanty is not only the best shot but the only shot we have in 2025.

I think it is.

Very nice write up.... I'm on board with everything you said however I honestly don't think 2025 would be the year because (Yes you're right), we need a Jeanty but the trench lines on both side of the ball need a major overhaul that I don't think can be fixed 100% in one year. If they draft well and have a spectacular free agency spree, if you were to say 2026 would be the year, I think that would make more sense..... Just my thoughts....

 

[Miller]

Love the post and optimism. I’ve kind of avoided the board lately because honestly I hated the coach search etc. But if what they are saying is true…get meaner, get tougher, run, etc than I think it’s a right step for this year BUT here are my two issues

1) Our FO is always 2-3 years behind trends so last year culminated with a tough D and run game being the plan that works. It usually is key in many games but what if we are on the backend and next year it’s a pass happy league as add adjust? To me this is all so cyclical so not sure if it works for us because of…

2) Dak. Young Dak was soooo good on the run and throwing rolling out. I loved that part of the game. He doesn’t have that now. No matter what people say Hurts was smart, a leader and could run this year, it showed all playoffs. Do we have that?

So in theory I like the thoughts. I just think we don’t have a forward thinking FO to get out in front of anything or a QB to do whatever trend is happening.

 

[KJJ]

The Cowboys had the best OL in the league in 2016 along with the NFL’s leading rushing. Our OL and RB situation is a far cry from what it was then. The only thing we didn’t have in 2016 was a solid defense which is why we went one and done. The only thing similar between our current team and the 2016 team is our defense which is worse than in 2016.

 

[Wangchung83]

Five years of purgatory.. Right now, we have too many gaps on the roster, and our salary cap is tied to a player whose performance doesn't match his contract. We once had an all-pro offensive line with players like Zach, Frederick, Tyron, Collins, and Leary as a backup, but now we have a defense that hasn't received proper investment for years (2016-2023). We've been spending at the bottom of the league on defense while ranking in the top five for offensive spending. We paid for offensive production but didn’t see the results when it mattered most in the playoffs. What do we have to show for it? 2 playoff wins, one of which was to a team with a losing record.lol

If I had a say, I would focus on strengthening the trenches, investing in defense, and building an elite unit. It's clear that Dak hasn't been a reliable factor in winning big games, especially playoff games. Five years from now, Dak will likely be gone, and an elite defense should be ready to perform at a high level.

Either way, this team will continue to suck until we stop investing so heavily on the offense.