Mickey: Mazi needs to step forward

[gtb1943]

Better than being negative all the time.

Being positive when there is little evidence for such is simply unrealistic and certainly will lead to excessive disappointment.

 

[gtb1943]

Bust.

Until proven otherwise.

after one year that is harsh. Remember BP and Landry both said you should try and give high draft picks three years to prove themselves.
BUT I think Mazi NEEDS to show a lot more this year to escape the bust label.

 

[ghst187]

Mazi's 1st year is mind boggling. I can only guess what the heck happened. I just hope things get corrected and he begins to really take some steps forward as the big athletic DT they drafted.

I think it was mostly a matter of the fact the guy couldn’t play football very well. Reminds me of Shawn Oakman…..lot of hype because he looks like a freak but stunk up the field.

 

[Cowboys5217]

We'll know a lot more once we can see him get some reps in pre-season.

 

[Zekeats]

He's got that dog in him........a beaten down half dead dog in him..

 

[sarge1116]

People keep talking about Mazi like he is a bust. DTs often don't show up year 1. Not everyone is Aaron Donald. Very few are. Vita Vea didn't do anything in year 1. Williams of the Jets didn't do crap until midway through season 2. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis of the Eagles have been non existent. It takes DTs several years. A lot of these guys are high first round picks, what do you expect from a late round first pick?

Jalen Carter non existent? LOL,

 

[Pola_pe_a]

He started stepping up last year, he’s just so slow off the ball he’s just moving now.

 

[Flamma]

Jalen Carter non existent? LOL,

He flashed. Put it this way, going by the Eagles media and fans, they are expecting a lot more from him.

 

[morat1959]

That’s his entire problem. His first step is too slow to play in the nfl. He’s a bust! I hope I eat these words but he’s shown nothing to this point. Where does a slight improvement get him?

 

[jazzcat22]

Being positive when there is little evidence for such is simply unrealistic and certainly will lead to excessive disappointment.

Being negative so one is not disappointed is not good for one's mental health. IMO.

I rather think positive or in reality, have cautious optimism, then deal with the consequences. Sure it is disappointing getting knocked out of the playoffs as we have.

But it is not the end of the world. Move on, as I enjoy the seasons as they unfold. No, I am not content with 12-5 then 1 and done. It is a part of life and sports.

 

[MyFairLady]

I will remain hopeful for a while longer and I support any article that is critical of a players performance. The Cowboy way is typically excuse after excuse. He is a grown man making lots of money. I don't care what you weigh and I don't care what the scheme is. Just go out there and make something happen.

 

[MikeT22]

Nice article from Mickey about Mazi needing to be the player that Dallas expected when they drafted him.
How the new DL coach and Zimmer and his scheme will benefit Mazi. However Mazi needs to step up as well.

Mickey did not tow the company line on this one.

So the company doesn’t believe Mazi needs to step up and be who they thought he was when he was drafted?

 

[gtb1943]

Being negative so one is not disappointed is not good for one's mental health. IMO.

I rather think positive or in reality, have cautious optimism, then deal with the consequences. Sure it is disappointing getting knocked out of the playoffs as we have.

But it is not the end of the world. Move on, as I enjoy the seasons as they unfold. No, I am not content with 12-5 then 1 and done. It is a part of life and sports.

so now you are a doctor?
constant disappointment cannot be healthy either can it?
I have a little experience with that; was a cubs fan in the seventies and eighties before I realized my masochistic limits had been reached
Not yet there with the boys but I have been down that road

 

[eromeopolk]

Mazi put the same things on film in Dallas that he put on film at Michigan. He had 2 TFLs and 0.5 sacks in 14 games as a junior, and got manhandled by NFL starting guard Steve Avila in the CFB playoffs.

This is just who he is. We drafted him based on who he could be, but that obviously comes with a lot of risk. I had him with a 3rd round grade.

So he doubled his college sack total in one horrible rookie season in the NFL. Remember the 3 year rule dude. Mazi played injured in the CFB playoffs and still made plays for a NT/DT.

 

[charron]

I think it was mostly a matter of the fact the guy couldn’t play football very well. Reminds me of Shawn Oakman…..lot of hype because he looks like a freak but stunk up the field.

This seems to happen when you draft strictly off measurables and don't factor in their lack of production.

 

[Beaker42]

+1...... coz right now, we are trending to Taco 2.0 but with a better attitude if that helps (lol)

More like Hill 2.0

 

[Beaker42]

The pick should’ve been something else. This clown would’ve been there in the 4th.

 

[ghst187]

This seems to happen when you draft strictly off measurables and don't factor in their lack of production.

They could’ve watched tape…. One look at the TCU tape and I would’ve taken him off my board altogether

 

[charron]

They could’ve watched tape…. One look at the TCU tape and I would’ve taken him off my board altogether

I wouldn't take him off but guys with low production should be taken after the 3rd round.

 

[buybuydandavis]

1. The team’s bizarre use of him as a 1T. Why have him shed weight when you drafted him to supposedly plug up holes and absorb blockers and contribute in the running game?

It's having Mazi shed so much weight that concerns me.
Why draft a guy in the 1st if you feel you have to transform his body? Especially when you consider him a project in terms of skills and technique and drafted him for physical traits?

The only thing that makes any sense at all is that with Hankins they felt they had a 1T, and they needed more of a 3T, so they tried to grind Mazi down into one. It was a complete lack of consideration for his development to solve a need of the day.

And it's not like this would be the first time they do this to a player, and not even the first time they did it to a first round pick. They ground Felix out of the league while making him play between the tackles with a shoulder injury for 2 years. It was a crime against football. He came into the league a unique talent and was ready for the NFL garbage heap by the end of his rookie contract.

Another possibility is that they simply decided that Mazi was garbage once they saw him in camp and so decided to treat him like downroster garbage. That seems unlikely given the respect McClary gets and our apparent desire since McCarthy came in to have a true NT on the team. But if he was such garbage, why not bring in a veteran warm body instead?

No, they seemed to feel the need to play him but without any regard for his long term development. They spent a year destroying the physical traits they drafted him for. He's really worse off than he was when he came into the league, and will have to spend a year or two to become what he was on draft day.