Nowadays, could a team realistically have an offensive line like the 1990s Cowboys?

[Red Dragon]

So, all the talk of late about the 1990s Cowboys offensive line has got me thinking:


COULD an NFL team realistically assemble a superb offensive line, these days, as outstanding as that 1990s Cowboys' offensive line?


It seems doable but very difficult for the following reasons:

• You'd need excellent drafting and talent scouting. And even then, these days, perhaps one or two of your offensive linemen starters would have to be top-notch free agents signed or traded from another team, possibly costing you a lot of money and draft picks.
• In this salary cap era, you'd have to keep all of your linemen under a reasonably modest salary apiece, or else they could ruin your salary cap situation (you still want a good QB, and good WRs, and good pass rushers, and good cornerbacks, and good safeties, don't you?) And your offensive linemen would probably KNOW they could make more money elsewhere.
  
• Other teams might be able to offer much more money for your excellent offensive linemen than you could. Perhaps only the argument that "By staying together as a group as an offensive line, we could win more Super Bowls together than we could individually elsewhere" would have to be the winning argument.
• You might have to divert more of your drafting attention in the first and second rounds of the Draft towards assembling this offensive line - valuable draft picks that could have been spent on other positions.

So, what do you think? Doable or not doable in today's salary cap era?

 

[theSHOW]

I am hoping to see the Cowboys join my style of thought on maintaining a roster.
1. Live for the draft, don't trade up to any major degree.
2. Trade down and gain picks for the following year (usually giving a 3rd round and gaining next years 2nd)
3. Acquire free agents already in the NFL sparingly.
4. Get these contracts to end before the player declines.
5. Limit the restructures to emergencies not yearly patterns
6. Shorten the contract lengths and be ready to let go and acquire others at better value.

 

[theSHOW]

^ this ^ is how you get the Offensive Line of the future

 

[Lonestar94]

49ers.

 

[AbeBeta]

We lucked into much of that line

 

[OhSnap]

Your talking about the first team to win 3 outta 4 SB's and came within 10pts of 4 in a row. Good luck waiting on that to happen again. If you did get a line that good you couldn't keep it together for more than a couple years unless you had Trent Dilfer for QB and Troy Hambrick for RB.

 

[Eddie]

We lucked into much of that line

Yep ... the same line was horrible a year prior to Emmitt's arrival.

 

[TheCount]

One issue I have is when people talk about how the past lines were built with scrubs and late round picks.

That assumes that talent scouting hasn't progressed at all in the past 10+ years. Like teams haven't gotten better at identifying good players that would have gone lower a decade ago and taking them higher.

 

[silver]

Yep ... the same line was horrible a year prior to Emmitt's arrival.

That and coaching went a long way in developing that line. Three of those guys, Tuinei, Newton and Gogan were holdovers from the Landry regime. Newton was an established player but the other two were hardly cornerstones when Jimmy took over and both developed quite nicely. Can anybody remember Newton playing right tackle in 1990? Tuinei started at LT from day one during Jimmy's era. Had he not blown his knee in 87 or 88, he could have been a perennial prow bowler. Switching positions and that injury prevented him from developing earlier.

 

[Corso]

Getting a superior O-Line can be done.

It's keeping it is what is now hard to do with the current CBA.

 

[Corso]

I am hoping to see the Cowboys join my style of thought on maintaining a roster.
1. Live for the draft, don't trade up to any major degree.
2. Trade down and gain picks for the following year (usually giving a 3rd round and gaining next years 2nd)
3. Acquire free agents already in the NFL sparingly.
4. Get these contracts to end before the player declines.
5. Limit the restructures to emergencies not yearly patterns
6. Shorten the contract lengths and be ready to let go and acquire others at better value.

Easy to say, hard to do.

Nothing you say is necessarily wrong- I agree with your points.
But this team is entrenched in it's current pattern- they cannot deviate without going nuclear on the roster for several years.

This is a problem, and a problem that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[jazzcat22]

Lucked into it...really...just horrible thinking on that.
I guess they lucked into 3 SB's also.

 

[joseephuss]

That and coaching went a long way in developing that line. Three of those guys, Tuinei, Newton and Gogan were holdovers from the Landry regime. Newton was an established player but the other two were hardly cornerstones when Jimmy took over and both developed quite nicely. Can anybody remember Newton playing right tackle in 1990? Tuinei started at LT from day one during Jimmy's era. Had he not blown his knee in 87 or 88, he could have been a perennial prow bowler. Switching positions and that injury prevented him from developing earlier.

Tuinei became the full time starting left tackle in 1987. He had already made the switch from the defensive line to the offensive side of the ball in 1985.

Those lines from the 90s had lots of depth. A guy would get hurt and another one would step in and they would still do well. There was a different starting center for each Superbowl team of the 90s because of injuries.

 

[john van brocklin]

We lucked into much of that line

They did not "luck" into drafting E. Williams and L. Allen , who were the 2 most dominate players on the 90's O'Line.
Should be noted that neither was a 1st round draft pick.

 

[theSHOW]

Easy to say, hard to do.

Nothing you say is necessarily wrong- I agree with your points.
But this team is entrenched in it's current pattern- they cannot deviate without going nuclear on the roster for several years.

This is a problem, and a problem that isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

As our vets age we need to let a few that are looking for their 1st Big free agent contract go. Yes it hurts but the number of draft picks could be there. The number one step is not signing one of our own high priced players in this situation I just described. Yeah, it hurts but the team needs to look at it like an injured player and make due. This lame restructuring must stop. After the Romo era is another time point that the Cowboys can save on a rookie quarterback contract example: Sea. Ind. and the likes. Got to push for this and take a few big hits. But diamonds lie in wait nearbye and the future is now. Team can continue to compete for post season success while stabilizing the team.

 

[Corso]

As our vets age we need to let a few that are looking for their 1st Big free agent contract go. Yes it hurts but the number of draft picks could be there. The number one step is not signing one of our own high priced players in this situation I just described. Yeah, it hurts but the team needs to look at it like an injured player and make due. This lame restructuring must stop. After the Romo era is another time point that the Cowboys can save on a rookie quarterback contract example: Sea. Ind. and the likes. Got to push for this and take a few big hits. But diamonds lie in wait nearbye and the future is now. Team can continue to compete for post season success while stabilizing the team.

Any particular names you got in mind of letting go?

 

[big dog cowboy]

COULD an NFL team realistically assemble a superb offensive line, these days, as outstanding as that 1990s Cowboys' offensive line?

Sure. How many of the Great Wall were drafted in the first two rounds? NONE.

 

[theSHOW]

Any particular names you got in mind of letting go?

Carter Bryant Murray if any of them are asking a ton..goodbye and maybe goodbye if a RB like Murray is even asking the rate. Put the stick in your mouth and bite while the arrow is removed. It will heal much better once it is out. Love to trade Dez for the pics. Pay the left tackle Tyron who will someday be the best. Start the build the right way. Oh lay off the college players who are a bargan because they blew out their knee last season.

 

[theSHOW]

I'm not available to study our cap but in my opinion Ware would be turning the corner on his decent and if we could friendly our cap situation and get a young player or picks then he would be ideal to move. Obviously this upsets many fans but again I am not familiar with his entire contract and cap details. Wonderful things can happen when the future is not in debt for seasons after these players leave and those particular new players have not been part of this conversation but you know there will be new blood that become stars if you have the picks and smartly deal with them.

 

[Corso]

Carter Bryant Murray if any of them are asking a ton..goodbye and maybe goodbye if a RB like Murray is even asking the rate. Put the stick in your mouth and bite while the arrow is removed. It will heal much better once it is out. Love to trade Dez for the pics. Pay the left tackle Tyron who will someday be the best. Start the build the right way. Oh lay off the college players who are a bargan because they blew out their knee last season.

OK, I respect that.