M. Bennett & D. Ware - Will this team win a SB in next two years?

[Alexander]

If we commit to fixing D then we will win SB. If we BS around and don't bring in the talent to do so...then no.

It's as simple as that.

It is?



More than half the picks dedicated to the defense and where are we again?

 

[TheHerd]

The sad part of this argument is that fans are basically saying, "We need a complete team top to bottom to win the Super Bowl."

And this, really, is an indictment on coaching. It's the same when fans say, Tony Romo needs a defense, he needs a running game, etc. What they're saying is Tony Romo really isn't as great as we wish he was. If you need all that, then you're not really one of those transcendent players who can lift a team and get it to where you want it to go. Granted, there are few of those players anyway.

Similarly, if we need to be great across our roster, why do we even need Jason Garrett? He's supposed to give us an edge when we're not a Super Team.

I like his approach, but he's really a coach who is growing with the team. He has not arrived yet as he doesn't really give us an advantage over other squads, not like Belichick who can take scraps from the NFL free agency heap and make them super stars and Super Bowl-caliber players. Shrug.

You do know the Patriots had the #1 scoring defense this year, right? And held Atl. to a TD less than their avg, Sunday, including totally stoning them while allowing the Patriot offense a chance to comeback? And in their previous 4 SB wins, they had arguably one of the best secondaries in terms of making plays, all of those seasons, and very opportunistic pass rushers?

Yes, we need a defense. Even the GOAT needs one.

 

[robbieruff]

#1 - You are assuming the Offense will remain at its high level while we ignore it in order to commit the high level resources needed to fix the defense. If we "fix" the defense only to have the offense fall apart, we'll still be in the same position. With the likely departure of Williams, Witten a year older, and Dez seemingly being a lot more injury prone nowadays, it is not far fetched to see our receiving game go downhill if we don't add quality resources there.

#2 - You are assuming we "hit" on those defensive resources we bring in. We have proven to be great at picking offense with premium picks but we have not proven so with defense. Claiborne and Jones, while both okay, are not home runs which elevate our team as first round picks should. And free agents, no matter how productive on former teams, are usually a crap-shoot, often being busts with there next team.

#3 - Even if we do as you said and our offense stays great and our defense improves greatly, it still doesn't guarantee us a Superbowl. Injuries, inconsistent coaching, bad refereeing and just bad luck can derail any team.

So no, not simple as that at all.

That being said, I agree we need to lean toward defense in all our immediate decisions as it is still our most glaring deficiency. I just disagree with your "simple" and seemingly guaranteed SB portions of your statement.

Man...you sure put me in my place...thx!

 

[robbieruff]

It is?



More than half the picks dedicated to the defense and where are we again?

lol...yo Alex...I am not talking about the PROCESS being simple...of course drafting quality talent is hard...what is "simple" is the answer to the question of whether I think we will win a SB in the next couple of years...in my view, it does indeed SIMPLY come down to our success in fixing the defense...in other words, the OBJECTIVE is not complicated...we know what our glaring weakness is...HOW YOU DO IT is not so simple but then of course you already knew that wasn't what I was indicating in my initial response...but thanks for twisting it in order to share your data analytics chops! I enjoyed the table!

 

[robbieruff]

It is?



More than half the picks dedicated to the defense and where are we again?

P.S. - BTW - that is some pretty thin breakdown from that table as it doesn't even reference round allocations...premium picks is how you upgrade a unit and not just volume...how many late rounders on D have we hit on? How many premium picks for D (3rd round or higher) have we made out of that 40???

 

[robbieruff]

You do know the Patriots had the #1 scoring defense this year, right? And held Atl. to a TD less than their avg, Sunday, including totally stoning them while allowing the Patriot offense a chance to comeback? And in their previous 4 SB wins, they had arguably one of the best secondaries in terms of making plays, all of those seasons, and very opportunistic pass rushers?

Yes, we need a defense. Even the GOAT needs one.

Certainly needed Hightower for the last two SB wins...without him, no rings...

 

[robbieruff]

How would you (fix) the d? I keep reading this and the solutions people have are ridiculous/unrealistic. So yeah, I'm all ears

The same way u would do it. The same way the organization has been talking about it since 2014 (and prior)...the same way we did it in the early 90's. If it isn't obvious to you I can be of no help on filling your ears with wisdom.

 

[willia451]

What can anyone possibly say about being 13-3, HFA throughout, the #1 seed, 3 weeks to rest and prepare, and go one and done. Again.

Against a team that got blown out in the divisional round the very next week.

It's absurd. In fact, it is so absurd, that it is no longer worth the effort it takes to type a post about the subject.

Its all already been said. By many and many times.

Hope is a mistake. The Cowboys are broken. And what it is going to take to fix the Cowboys is not coming on the horizon anytime soon.

 

[SportsGuru80]

The defense has been an issue since 2007.....

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Romo isn't in their class

If that's so called class, then glad Romo isn't in that.

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

Not with Garrett, sorry don't trust this guy when the game is on the line. Has no clock management and in game decisions sometimes are a head scratcher.

My biggest issue with Garrett is him motivating the team after 2 weeks layoff. (Bye week, then playing Philly at home. Playoff game vs Green Bay) We always seem to come out flat in the 1st half of games.

 

[tyke1doe]

You might want to check on his offensive line. He's had some of the best protection this league has ever seen.

An offensive line that couldn't stop the Falcons' pass rush in the first half. What happened?
I'll tell you what happened. The Patriots ran 96 plays. The Patriots' strategy was to tire the Falcons out and wear them down.
So the Pats, with a deadly passing attack, kept the ball away from the Falcons' offense. And the defense wore down. That's why the Patriots' offensive line looked so dominant.
Now, I do believe it takes all units to win. But Brady is simply in a class all by himself.

 

[tyke1doe]

Romo is 8th on the all time list of TD to INT ratio. Are we still giving alternative facts about this guy after all Dallas put him through? Smh. Proceed, sir.

I didn't stutter.

 

[tyke1doe]

You do know the Patriots had the #1 scoring defense this year, right? And held Atl. to a TD less than their avg, Sunday, including totally stoning them while allowing the Patriot offense a chance to comeback? And in their previous 4 SB wins, they had arguably one of the best secondaries in terms of making plays, all of those seasons, and very opportunistic pass rushers?

Yes, we need a defense. Even the GOAT needs one.

So you think the Patriots defense had more to do with that win than the Brady-led offense?

 

[stilltheguru88]

The same way u would do it. The same way the organization has been talking about it since 2014 (and prior)...the same way we did it in the early 90's. If it isn't obvious to you I can be of no help on filling your ears with wisdom.

There is no way to (fix it). We're going to have at most 4 new dline members. 2 from free agency and two from the draft. No free agent de is worth a blank check so we're left with getting a high quality DT if we want that and a middle of the pack DE. In the draft what DE are you willin to trade up for? I'm not willing to trade up for any of them with how deep this draft is. The organization has been fixing the dline, just not at fans pace. They could speed it up a bit but most fans think the dline is going to get some 180 degree makeover and it isn't

 

[robbieruff]

There is no way to (fix it). We're going to have at most 4 new dline members. 2 from free agency and two from the draft. No free agent de is worth a blank check so we're left with getting a high quality DT if we want that and a middle of the pack DE. In the draft what DE are you willin to trade up for? I'm not willing to trade up for any of them with how deep this draft is. The organization has been fixing the dline, just not at fans pace. They could speed it up a bit but most fans think the dline is going to get some 180 degree makeover and it isn't

Brah. He said over the next one OR TWO years in the OP. Who the frig said it would be done in one off season?!! Shoot...for now I will take improved pash rush this offseason and roll the dice from there. It took two-three pics to fix the Oline (starting with Fred). We need to hit without fail on our Dline pick at the bottom of round one in April. Let's start there.

 

[TheHerd]

So you think the Patriots defense had more to do with that win than the Brady-led offense?

I think the comeback is impossible without the defense coming up with stops, and the win would likely not have happened without the sack(s) at the end.

"More to do"? Not sure I'll say that, but the don't win if the defense doesn't completely shut down the Falcons for the final 24 minutes.

 

[tyke1doe]

I think the comeback is impossible without the defense coming up with stops, and the win would likely not have happened without the sack(s) at the end.

"More to do"? Not sure I'll say that, but the don't win if the defense doesn't completely shut down the Falcons for the final 24 minutes.

But the defense shutting down the Falcons offense had to do with Tevin Coleman going out of the game and the Falcons offense spending less time on the field. The Patriots offense was slowly, methodically move down the field, even in the first half. They just came up a few yards short here on third downs or a pick six there.
The Pats offense ran 96 plays! That definitely keeps a defense fresh.
I just don't think any quarterback not named Tom Brady and, maybe, Aaron Rodgers orchestrates that comeback throwing to receivers like Chris Hogan, Danny Amendola and James White.

 

[LocimusPrime]

P.S. - BTW - that is some pretty thin breakdown from that table as it doesn't even reference round allocations...premium picks is how you upgrade a unit and not just volume...how many late rounders on D have we hit on? How many premium picks for D (3rd round or higher) have we made out of that 40???

Good point.

 

[robbieruff]

#1 - You are assuming the Offense will remain at its high level while we ignore it in order to commit the high level resources needed to fix the defense. If we "fix" the defense only to have the offense fall apart, we'll still be in the same position. With the likely departure of Williams, Witten a year older, and Dez seemingly being a lot more injury prone nowadays, it is not far fetched to see our receiving game go downhill if we don't add quality resources there.

#2 - You are assuming we "hit" on those defensive resources we bring in. We have proven to be great at picking offense with premium picks but we have not proven so with defense. Claiborne and Jones, while both okay, are not home runs which elevate our team as first round picks should. And free agents, no matter how productive on former teams, are usually a crap-shoot, often being busts with there next team.

#3 - Even if we do as you said and our offense stays great and our defense improves greatly, it still doesn't guarantee us a Superbowl. Injuries, inconsistent coaching, bad refereeing and just bad luck can derail any team.

So no, not simple as that at all.

That being said, I agree we need to lean toward defense in all our immediate decisions as it is still our most glaring deficiency. I just disagree with your "simple" and seemingly guaranteed SB portions of your statement.

Dhragon...I didn't have a ton of time to address the points you made a few days ago to my earlier post. Want to do so now in hopes to provide a better understanding of where I am coming from...you made a lot of assumptions about MY ASSUMPTIONS in your points (much of which I agree with)...in any future exchanges, I always welcome questions or requests for clarifications on any intended meaning from my posts...and certainly I agree that the succinct nature of it would lend itself to further elaboration if asked. And just to be clear, I was speaking to the WHAT and not the HOW in terms of what would be "simple"...of course the HOW is complex...but the WHAT (i.e., need to improve the defense in order to threaten for the SB is, I think, a consensus view).

Now onto some of your other points...

You're right that I do assume a steady state on offense...I put much of the basis for that opinion on the presence of Zeke, the Oline, as well as our ability to produce with a variety of receiving combinations this past season...we set records for 400+ yards of offense per game this year, much of that without Dez in the line up and with Witten unquestionably slowed due to age (the latter is already true). But our running game and ability to spread the ball around to multiple receivers (and the emergence of Cole) should buoy our confidence that this unit can continue to produce going forward, even with the potential so-called pitfalls you point out. Williams' production will be readily replaced (either in the draft of via FA) and Witten should remain a constant for at least another season or two. And Zeke and the Oline should only get better. AND, since you didn't mention it (surprisingly given your apparent acumen) is I think it is reasonable to expect continued growth from Dak as he continues to learn defenses and our offensive system, etc.

And yes, of course we must hit on the defensive picks (starting this year with a stud d-lineman)...just like we needed to hit on our oline picks over a 3-draft period to create the best oline in football...but again, this speaks to the HOW...I am focused on OUTCOME...WE NEED TO DO IT in order to get to the mountain top...however that happens, picks, FA signings, resigning our own...I frankly don't really shive a get HOW we get there...only that it happens STARTING THIS OFF SEASON. I'll wrap this point that we need to dedicate the next two drafts on the vast majority of our premium picks (i.e., round 3 or better) selecting defense...specifically line and secondary. And pray that Jaylon recovers fully, Lee remains healthy, and either Wilson or someone ascends to a strong side stud.

Cant argue with #3 as the truths are self evident...but without a quantum leap on defense, great health and luck (and whatever else) won't amount to jack squat...we had great health in 2014 and we know where that got us...the Dez call notwithstanding...not destroying a hobbled Rodgers was are undoing and that is ALL about the quality of the D (namely pass rush).

Always like your posts my man...glad we're routing for the same team!