NFL Power Rankings: Cowboys get major boost from 2020 Draft

[Runwildboys]

Cowboys move up four to seventh.

How about them Cowboys? Jerry Jones and company did excellent work in the draft, finding value up and down the board. It might not have been the plan to select a wide receiver in the first round, but Dallas didn't expect CeeDee Lamb to still be on the board at No. 17. Question: Would the 'Boys have re-signed Amari Cooper to that massive contract if they knew Lamb was going to fall to them? We'll never know, but we do know that Lamb joins Cooper and Michael Gallup to form one of the most talented wide receiver groups in football. Elsewhere, Dallas added depth and starting options at offensive line, defensive line and cornerback. This feels like your NFC East favorite.

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...kings-cowboys-get-major-boost-from-2020-draft

If Dallas had traded Cooper, I'm sure Philly or someone would've traded up to get Lamb, knowing we'd want him.

 

[CouchCoach]

I don’t even have us 7th in the NFC

I do have the Cowboys in 7th in the NFC: SF, NO, MN, GB, PHL, SEA and DAL....until proven otherwise. But that's good enough for the Wild Wild Card spot.

 

[CouchCoach]

If Dallas had traded Cooper, I'm sure Philly or someone would've traded up to get Lamb, knowing we'd want him.

I read where PHL had tried to trade ahead of DAL and couldn't pull it off. I think they saw it coming, the ole Goedert payback.

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

WRs do tend to start slowly at times so I am torn here.
Cobb was productive but had A LOT of drops, a couple fumbles and probably was given too many targets because Cooper wasn't 100% healthy.

All in all I think Lamb is a substantially better player very quickly. Cobb had a rough few years before blowing up in this offense.

He's the biggest play maker in the draft, IMHO. If anyone can blow up their rookie year, it's lamb.

 

[Redball Express]

Does a power ranking in the NFL ever stand up to scrutiny? It's just a byproduct of these sports pubs and nets having to do year round coverage. The draft mocks are over, time to move on to the power rankings.

Talking points.

A million points of light.

All for media consumption.

 

[jterrell]

He's the biggest play maker in the draft, IMHO. If anyone can blow up their rookie year, it's lamb.

I think he will have benefit of a few things rookies do not.
1. New head coach. So this rookie class are kinda "his guys".
2. Moore and McCarthy both want to tweak and introduce twists to offense and Lamb is the primary guy they'll think of for new stuff. He has the after catch ability to do a lot of the old Tavon Austin gadget play stuff.
3. He's more developed now than Gallup was entering year 2. CeeDee had so many college targets and played in so many big games that he's pretty polished for a rookie.

 

[Kolemmitt]

Even before the draft, we were due for a rebound year.

In 2018, we won most of our close games.
In 2019, it was the exact opposite.

Just by the law of averages, that should even out.

IMO, two reasons why we sucked in close games:
First, the defense could not get stops when they needed to. Why?

1. We could not get turnover to save our lives
2. We were really bad at defending the run. In '18, besides Indy and LA, we were actually really good against the run. The run game allows you to manipulate the clock in crunch time. Smart coaches will use that to their advantage. Garrett was HORRIBLE at late-game clock management

The second reason, why we sucked in close games? This is just a theory, but I think it makes sense.
In '18 Scott was completely in charge of calling plays, and as bad as he sucked at times, it made for consistency.
In '19, Moore called most of the plays, but then in crunch time, Garrett became more involved. Remember the head-scratching decisions at the end of the games at Minny, NE? I also think he was much more involved directly in the game plan for the second Philly game, and then he let Moore go at it in Washington since it did not mean anything. We all know what happened in those games.

In summation, the law of averages, trading Cobb for Lamb, a much better run defense, a defense that seeks turnovers, and trading Garrett for MM, means I think we are due for a major rebound.

 

[Jstopper]

I don’t even have us 7th in the NFC

You’re tripping

 

[Kwyn]

You’re tripping

1. 49ers
2. Saints
3. Vikings
4. Packers
5. Buccaneers
6. Seahawks
7. Eagles
8. Cowboys

Only one NFC East team making the playoffs again. I give the edge to the incumbent champs especially since they had horrible injuries last year and we were relatively healthy

If you think rookies are going to tip the balance of power in any meaningful way, specifically resulting in increased wins, then I think you, my good friend, might be the one partaking of the hallucinogens.

 

[cml750]

The coaching change means a whole lot more to our actual ranking than this draft. Finally having a competent coach will do wonders for this team. Having a great draft is just icing on the cake.

 

[CouchCoach]

The coaching change means a whole lot more to our actual ranking than this draft. Finally having a competent coach will do wonders for this team. Having a great draft is just icing on the cake.

Applying that thinking makes sense until I consider the real problem with this team, the defense. They lost the best sacker and CB and acquired a DC that doesn't have an impressive resume.

The unknown still applies to any team with a new coaching staff; however, this franchise has a good record in year one in the last 3 HC changes. What is unlikely is that 3 of the 4 East teams changed HC's. There were only 5 changes and 3 in one division, that's different.

 

[CouchCoach]

1. 49ers
2. Saints
3. Vikings
4. Packers
5. Buccaneers
6. Seahawks
7. Eagles
8. Cowboys

Only one NFC East team making the playoffs again. I give the edge to the incumbent champs especially since they had horrible injuries last year and we were relatively healthy

If you think rookies are going to tip the balance of power in any meaningful way, specifically resulting in increased wins, then I think you, my good friend, might be the one partaking of the hallucinogens.

I wouldn't slide the Bucs ahead just yet because they're an unknown.

 

[Jstopper]

1. 49ers
2. Saints
3. Vikings
4. Packers
5. Buccaneers
6. Seahawks
7. Eagles
8. Cowboys

Only one NFC East team making the playoffs again. I give the edge to the incumbent champs especially since they had horrible injuries last year and we were relatively healthy

If you think rookies are going to tip the balance of power in any meaningful way, specifically resulting in increased wins, then I think you, my good friend, might be the one partaking of the hallucinogens.

care to make a friendly wager friend? No money, but maybe a signature bet or something? I’m that confident that you’re wrong

 

[Kwyn]

care to make a friendly wager friend? No money, but maybe a signature bet or something? I’m that confident that you’re wrong

Wager on what? Where they should be in the Power Rankings or where they finish the season?

I don’t bet against the Cowboys.

All I’m trying to say is that at this point, without even having gone to training camp, the only data we have is last years record. Last year they were 8-8 and missed the playoffs. To now have them as the third beat team in the NFC is completely based on hopes and dreams.

We’ll see what it looks like after week 4

 

[Hardline]

Pure speculation.

 

[plasticman]

That must be the new math.

I have to reread this.

Stop driving when you post, damn it.

Four new starters would represent an 18% change in the lineup

4/22=.1818

11th place in 32 teams means the Cowboys are better than 21 teams.

.1818 x 21 = 3.82 ~ 4 units of change.

This is the "Extremely New" math.

.....in that I just made it up.

 

[Redball Express]

Four new starters would represent an 18% change in the lineup

4/22=.1818

11th place in 32 teams means the Cowboys are better than 21 teams.

.1818 x 21 = 3.82 ~ 4 units of change.

This is the "Extremely New" math.

.....in that I just made it up.

Got ya.

And I was reading and rereading it..

Reading it slow..reading it fast..

Just about ready to hit reply and saw what you wrote.

I see what you are doing. Trying to frighten an old man.

Stop it.

 

[Buzzbait]

Wager on what? Where they should be in the Power Rankings or where they finish the season?

I don’t bet against the Cowboys.

All I’m trying to say is that at this point, without even having gone to training camp,
the only data we have is last years record. Last year they were 8-8 and missed the playoffs. To now have them as the third beat team in the NFC is completely based on hopes and dreams.

We’ll see what it looks like after week 4

You forgot something about last year and this year both...…..Last year we had Garrett, this year we have McCarthy.
IMO that could prove to be a big difference.

 

[Kwyn]

You forgot something about last year and this year both...…..Last year we had Garrett, this year we have McCarthy.
IMO that could prove to be a big difference.

Good point ... we hope!

 

[PJTHEDOORS]

I’m a Cowboy homer, but 8th? On a team whose defense didn’t make substantial improvements?

An 8-8 team that missed the playoffs finds themselves ranked below a 13-3 team that went to the NFC Championship game and a 10-6 playoff team that beat the Saints to go to the Divisional round

That doesn’t even touch on the fact that the team won our own division in a year that they were decimated by injuries

For those who like to say the media hates on the Cowboys, there’s no doubt in my mind that we often get way more benefit of the doubt than most teams.

Looks like some Cowboy fans involved in these power rankings

DL added 2 new starting DT's. Both upgrades. Added 2 rookie DL. Hopefully will add Gregory & Aldon Smith. Secondary only loss was BJones. Added the 2 rookie corners. Added Ha Ha Clinton-Dix at SS, upgrade over Heath imo.