Nugget from The Ringer about Cowboys offense

[john van brocklin]

Any expectation that Tolbert can handle the #2 role until Gallup back should be quashed at this point if history is any indicator.

It's almost criminal that Jerry and Stephen seem to think WR is just in great shape at this point. They are assuming Gallup will be back in a few weeks after the season starts AND he'll just pick up right where he left off.

They are gambling at the WR position. And if Lamb were to get hurt for a game or two early, wooo boy.

EDIT: Before the homers get wound up, I am not suggesting Tolbert isn't good or whatever. But he is what he is - a third round rookie WR. They don't typically hit right away and take time to develop. It's almost unfair to the kid to expect him to fill that #2 role effectively until Gallup is back and proves he's 100% healthy.

WR and OL are just an injury away from being disasters....

 

[Ren]

I’m sure it’s already been mentioned but our last two 3rd round receivers did the following their rookie seasons:

Gallup
33 rec.
507 yards
2 TDs

Terrance Williams
44 rec.
736 yards
5 TDs

Gallup didn't do much until we got Cooper

Williams had Dez in his prime opposite and a better QB

Our OL is probably the worst we've had in a decade now, our big money RB is on the decline and we have a QB who can't seem to read a defense post snap.

We better hope the Defense is good or we're going nowhere

 

[Oz-of-Cowboy-Country]

All telling me this offense can't put up points with Zeke, Pollard, Shultz, Lamb, Turpin, or Ferguson? Six offensive weapons and we still won't be crap? Hasn't there been reports of Fehoko, Brown, and Houston having nice camps? So six offensive weapons and three guys having nice camps is not enough?



How many weapons did Troy have on those 90's teams that we love so much?

 

[big dog cowboy]

Right now, the depth chart is...

Last time I checked that meant nothing on August 18th.

 

[Parcells4Life]

So far their receiver depth has looked good with Brown, Fehoko, Houston, Tolbert, and Turpin. They really look good, actually better than expected. The thing that they really need is a veteran backup offensive tackle. Overall, the team looks very good so far.

You mean in the one game they played where a DiNucci TD in the 4th quarter saved them from getting shut out?

Practices aren’t a great indicator to me because you don’t get hit. Receivers like Tolbert don’t have to be afraid to alligator arm it over the middle like he did last week.

Also in the joint practices has the offense been lighting the other team up even in flag version? Doesn’t sound like it

 

[Parcells4Life]

I’m sure it’s already been mentioned but our last two 3rd round receivers did the following their rookie seasons:

Gallup
33 rec.
507 yards
2 TDs

Terrance Williams
44 rec.
736 yards
5 TDs

Also Gallups rookie year the team was a disaster before Cooper and Williams rookie year the team was 8-8.

Point is relying on rookies of any round probably means your team isn’t very good.

They should be supplemental and a nice surprise to be anything more than a solid contributor.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

 

[Sydla]

So is this another version of the "progress stopper" excuse?

Bringing in a vet WR like a Will Fuller at this point doesn't impede the young guys getting work with Dak. It's a preposterous notion if fans think that.

 

[Doomsday101]

So is this another version of the "progress stopper" excuse?

Bringing in a vet WR like a Will Fuller at this point doesn't impede the young guys getting work with Dak. It's a preposterous notion if fans think that.

No that is a QB knowing he has to get these young guys ready to play. Dak does not control who is brought in he deals with what is on the team. Having said that I agree with you, Dallas should look to Fuller or another FA WR. I think experience matters when you have little experience at a position

 

[Hawkeye0202]

No that is a QB knowing he has to get these young guys ready to play. Dak does not control who is brought in he deals with what is on the team. Having said that I agree with you, Dallas should look to Fuller or another FA WR. I think experience matters when you have little experience at a position

With only two preseason games left, I'm not sure of any additional WR who can help unless act fast, as in now. Having some sort of chemistry with Dak before game 1 matters.

 

[Doomsday101]

With only two preseason games left, I'm not sure of any additional WR who can help unless act fast, as in now. Having some sort of chemistry with Dak before game 1 matters.

Remember unlike other season Cowboys have more time between the pre season and reg season. Cowboys final pre season game is the 26th followed by the Tampa game on sept. 11th that is 16 days. I do agree if they are looking to add a WR they must do so fairly quick

 

[HungryLion]

So is this another version of the "progress stopper" excuse?

Bringing in a vet WR like a Will Fuller at this point doesn't impede the young guys getting work with Dak. It's a preposterous notion if fans think that.

The idea of a progress stopper is just propaganda from the FO to get people to willingly accept a lack of free agent acquisitions

 

[charron]

What I trust less than rookies is these coaches doing anything to help when rookies struggle. Coaches weren't much help last year when the offense was struggling vs the better teams and now it has less overall talent.

 

[Proof]

How did Gallup do in those first 4-5 games? The expectations are Gallup could miss 3-5 weeks at the start of the season. So how did Gallup do those first 5 games?

6 catches, 92 yards. Total.

If the Cowboys are banking on Tolbert being a legit #2 for the first quarter of the season, that's an issue.

I mean that's pre-cooper, Lamb will be there to attract some attention, and (imo) Dak is a better qb at this point. It's still worrisome obviously, but I think he has a chance to make his presence felt. Also, if we shrink the timeframe to 5 years (10 years is a lifetime in the nfl) in the third round you've got guys like cooper kupp, terry mclaurin, diontae johnson, chris godwin, gallup, golladay etc. Receivers seem to be coming in more and more polished as well, and a lot of scouts seemed to be really high on tolbert and had him pegged for the 2nd round. so i'm holding out hope.

 

[Scotman]

I'm of the opinion that once you let Cooper walk, you've placed all your money on Lamb being able to replace him. Super....I'm down. I think that Lamb can potentially replace Cooper. However, you didn't really replace Lamb in this scenario. With Gallup out, it makes no sense to not bring in someone like Fuller. If Fehoko or Tolbert are better someone like Fuller right from the start...awesome. But I would make those guys out perform a receiver with some skins on the wall.

Someone mentioned it earlier that literally everything has to go right in order for us to have a good start to the year. I completely agree with that statement. The oline needs to be healthy and productive...and they haven't done either in a while. Dak needs to play at his peak. Dak grew on me, but he didn't do that in the last meaningful game he played...at all. Zeke needs his 2016 legs back and he hasn't been trending in that direction for a long, long time. The receivers need to all perform at their peak projected fantasy levels...like every single one of them. The OC needs to make a dramatic leap. His "brilliance" needs to translate into game plans and play calling that are an advantage every single week. One of your DTs needs to step up and be a player. So far, I keep hearing the word POTENTIAL without hearing the word RESULTS. A CB opposite Diggs needs to step up. And I don't mean step up and say it wasn't their fault.

Anyone of those things could happen. Several of those things may happen. But the odds of them all happening are pretty slim. If they all happen, we win the Superbowl.

If you go back and read my posts, I'm usually Pollyanna to the point of wearing permanent rose colored glasses. I'm always confident we will come out on top. But there's a lot of IFs this season...a lot of gambles. My hope now is that we win like crazy and I get blasted for having my doubts. I'd welcome that.

 

[Sydla]

I mean that's pre-cooper, Lamb will be there to attract some attention, and (imo) Dak is a better qb at this point. It's still worrisome obviously, but I think he has a chance to make his presence felt. Also, if we shrink the timeframe to 5 years (10 years is a lifetime in the nfl) in the third round you've got guys like cooper kupp, terry mclaurin, diontae johnson, chris godwin, gallup, golladay etc. Receivers seem to be coming in more and more polished as well, and a lot of scouts seemed to be really high on tolbert and had him pegged for the 2nd round. so i'm holding out hope.

And we can then also tick off a ton of names of 3rd round WRs that never amounted to anything. The odds are simply that it's unlikely Tolbert can come into the league, in game 1, and be effective enough to take pressure of Lamb in the form of teams just doubling him because the other WRs aren't good enough to be much of a threat.

This is the problem with Jerry and Stephen. They often dont try to minimize their risk. They just seemingly assume the vast majority of their moves/decisions will work out. It seems here, they just seem to assume that whomever they slide into that 2nd WR role will be good until Gallup comes back. But that's a risk that they could easily mitigate without actually having to spend a significant number of cap dollars.

EDIT: We are seeing the same thing at swing OT. There were/are some cheap veterans out there that, while not great, might be able to buy you a game or two or three in the event of an injury to our starters. But they believe in Ball apparently and some others (like maybe kicking Tyler Smith out to LT) but why not invest just a little in cash to give yourself more options to chose from? Nope. That's not how Jerry rolls.

 

[Hawkeye0202]

And we can then also tick off a ton of names of 3rd round WRs that never amounted to anything. The odds are simply that it's unlikely Tolbert can come into the league, in game 1, and be effective enough to take pressure of Lamb in the form of teams just doubling him because the other WRs aren't good enough to be much of a threat.

This is the problem with Jerry and Stephen. They often dont try to minimize their risk. They just seemingly assume the vast majority of their moves/decisions will work out. It seems here, they just seem to assume that whomever they slide into that 2nd WR role will be good until Gallup comes back. But that's a risk that they could easily mitigate without actually having to spend a significant number of cap dollars.

+1 ....that risk can be the exact reason for a potential 1-4 start that we can't dig ourselves out. Honestly, I think our only hope is Gallup comes back a bit earlier than expected. He was running some routes this week. That not saying much but with just a little over three weeks before the season starts, maybe he only misses two games instead of 4-5.