Observations after approximately 23.5% of the season

[Bobhaze]

A win is win in the NFL, especially for a team absolutely desperate for any kind of W. I didn’t get to see the game live but watched it in its entirety early this morning. That was one of the ugliest football games I’ve ever seen. Nine penalties for the Cowboys in the first half alone. Man that was like watching a couple of bad boxers trying to win a fight.

Well…at least the Cowboys won. It’s better to WIN an ugly game than lose while looking good doing it.

At the end of September after four games, this team is 2-2, and has only played 23.5% of the season. We can look at it as having lots of time to improve or feel like this team is at best barely mediocre.

Here are some big picture observations about this team 4 games into the season:

• The Cowboys have more snaps from rookies than any team in the NFL so far this year. That can be both good and bad. Rookies, regardless of talent level, have lots of learning curves. Guyton for example is struggling some in pass protection. Hopefully that gets better.
• This team essentially has no running threat. It can occasionally get a short yardage pickup when needed but the RB room is the collective worst I’ve seen in the last 3 decades. If this organization is serious about winning this year, they need to get some talent in the backfield.
• Because there is no threat for a RB to take it to the house at any time, opposing defenses are dropping their safeties VERY deep to take away the deep and intermediate routes. They are basically giving us the short pass. Defenses do not respect our running game for good reason. Without some improvement in the running game, this team will be struggling to score more than 20 points a game.
• The offense has two weapons and that’s not enough. Cedee Lamb and Jake Ferguson…that’s it. The WR and RB positions are below average as a group. If Ferguson gets hurt, I shudder to think what the TE position looks like.
• The defense may end up being better than the offense. That may sound hard to believe right now, but this offense is toothless. We did see some improvement in the defense’s run game stops vs the giants but it was against a below average running game. We have to hope the injuries with Parsons and DLaw are not serious.

Being 2-2 is better than 1-3. But this team right now is not very good. Having said that it’s only 23.5% into the season. Can they get better without some help on offense and some injury luck on defense? We will find out over time.

 

[JBS]

Fair to say we’ve seen enough - not just this season - but over the last 4+ years of this staff and team that this team is not good enough. Something most of us knew going into the season but has now been confirmed. The next staff that comes in here will ultimately be the difference in whether this team can get over the hump or not. Unfortunately Jerry hires puppets and not difference makers

 

[diamonddelts]

Cliff notes - Dallas sucks

 

[thunderpimp91]

• The defense may end up being better than the offense. That may sound hard to believe right now, but this offense is toothless. We did see some improvement in the defense’s run game stops vs the giants but it was against a below average running game. We have to hope the injuries with Parsons and DLaw are not serious.

This may get laughed at but its a very real scenario. People shouldnt confuse the lack of success on defense so far with a lack of talent on that side of the football. We need to get a little lucky with health, but this team has enough high end players defensively to cover up some of the warts. On the flip side I struggle to see how the offense really improves without acquiring more talent on that side of the football. I think the OL has some room to improve, but I'm not overly optimistic it will improve to the point we see a noticeable change, and even so we still need another skill player to emerge.

 

[Bobhaze]

This may get laughed at but its a very real scenario. People shouldnt confuse the lack of success on defense so far with a lack of talent on that side of the football. We need to get a little lucky with health, but this team has enough high end players defensively to cover up some of the warts. On the flip side I struggle to see how the offense really improves without acquiring more talent on that side of the football. I think the OL has some room to improve, but I'm not overly optimistic it will improve to the point we see a noticeable change, and even so we still need another skill player to emerge.

100% agree. This offense is reminiscent of the 2018 team that started 3-5 that season because they thought they didn’t need any WRs. They traded for Amari Cooper at mid-season and went 7-1 afterward.

I‘m not saying this offense is a trade away from being good. But unless they get some help at RB and WR, I just can’t see this team even making the playoffs. Just being honest.

 

[gtb1943]

A win is win in the NFL, especially for a team absolutely desperate for any kind of W. I didn’t get to see the game live but watched it early this morning That was one of the ugliest football games I’ve ever seen. Nine penalties for the Cowboys in the first half alone. Man that was like watching a couple of bad boxers trying to win a fight.

Well…at least the Cowboys won. It’s better to WIN an ugly game than lose while looking good doing it.

At the end of September after four games, this team is 2-2, and has only played 23.5% of the season. We can look at it as having lots of time to improve or feel like this team is at best barely mediocre.

Here are some big picture observations about this team 4 games into the season:

• The Cowboys have more snaps from rookies than any team in the NFL so far this year. That can be both good and bad. Rookies, regardless of talent level, have lots of learning curves. Guyton for example is struggling some in pass protection. Hopefully that gets better.
• This team essentially has no running threat. It can occasionally get a short yardage pickup when needed but the RB room is the collective worst I’ve seen in the last 3 decades. If this organization is serious about winning this year, they need to get some talent in the backfield.
• Because there is no threat for a RB to take it to the house at any time, opposing defenses are dropping their safeties VERY deep to take away the deep and intermediate routes. They are basically giving us the short pass. Defenses do not respect our running game for good reason. Without some improvement in the running game, this team will be struggling to score more than 20 points a game.
• The offense has two weapons and that’s not enough. Cedee Lamb and Jake Ferguson…that’s it. The WR and RB positions are below average as a group. If Ferguson gets hurt, I shudder to think what the TE position looks like.
• The defense may end up being better than the offense. That may sound hard to believe right now, but this offense is toothless. We did see some improvement in the defense’s run game stops vs the giants but it was against a below average running game. We have to hope the injuries with Parsons and DLaw are not serious.

Being 2-2 is better than 1-3. But this team right now is not very good. Having said that it’s only 23.5% into the season. Can they get better without some help on offense and some injury luck on defense? We will find out over time.

might want to check on that more snaps than any other team
I know last week I read somewhere where a team had like five starters that were rooks and more played.

 

[Bobhaze]

might want to check on that more snaps than any other team
I know last week I read somewhere where a team had like five starters that were rooks and more played.

I was quoting information I heard this morning on the radio from David Moore, the Cowboys beat writer from DMN. If you have verified info to the contrary please post it.

 

[NoLuv4Jerry]

I like that we played teams like the Ravens and Saints EARLY. So fans can see how we match up against teams that can run the ball. Too often we would rack up 6 game win streaks against teams like the Browns and Giants. We would lose a game here or there and some fans would chalk it up to the normal ups and downs of the regular season. Then we would beat a good team like the Eagles (that also happen to be a division rival) and fans would think we are ready for the postseason. Then we play a team like the Ravens or Saints in the playoffs....literally get our doors blown off...but because we had 12 wins fans would think "what happened"?

It's one things for FANS to be shocked when that happens...but I am literally FLOORED that the front office is shocked when this happens. A front office should have the pulse of the coaching staff AND players. I really think they could not believe we lost to Jimmy G at home a few years ago in the playoffs. SMART football people said before the game we would lose and describe how we would lose...and it went according to plan.

But this front office kept letting the talent on this team get worse...and somehow because we continued to win 12 games, they got a false sense of who we are. This is a .500 team at best. I am not shocked. I knew all it would take is a 17-game schedule where would not get "teams like the Giants" 8 times out the year.

My disappointment is rooted in the fact that we have a front office that has lost total sense of self-awareness and there appears to be no end in sight.

 

[Cowboys5217]

We will know a heck of a lot more about the team after this gauntlet of good teams coming up.

 

[Cowfan75Lives]

Bottom line, this is another year without a Super Bowl, which means I'll be turning the big 5 0 before we have another crack at it. Jerry needs to hurry and punch that clock, and Cap Boy, too, if I can be greedy. I'm starting to feel my own mortality over here.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

I'll take any win but last night was uninspiring.

This team is nowhere near as good as last year. We'll be good enough to not get a good first round draft pick.

 

[gtb1943]

OK it was the Rams who played the 49rs and played ten rookies; four of them UDFA's
and they won

 

[McKDaddy]

Why isn't the mighty Schoon a weapon? We spent a second round pick on him for goodness sake.

The follies of this organization.

 

[Bobhaze]

OK it was the Rams who played the 49rs and played ten rookies; four of them UDFA's
and they won

According to David Moore, the Cowboys have had the most rookie snaps in the league so far.

 

[stiletto]

I was thinking the same about the Defense, it looks terrible right now but have to keep in mind it is a new scheme for them and it "may" get better as time goes. The Offense is limited because of the running game and two starting rookies on the OL that are going to go through obvious issues. They may get better too but like you said, the Offense as a whole is toothless. Cooks can no longer run apparently and Dak runs like he is wearing lead pants... so that doesn't help either. They need another true weapon on Offense.

 

[Cowboys5217]

I was thinking the same about the Defense, it looks terrible right now but have to keep in mind it is a new scheme for them and it "may" get better as time goes. The Offense is limited because of the running game and two starting rookies on the OL that are going to go through obvious issues. They may get better too but like you said, the Offense as a whole is toothless. Cooks can no longer run apparently and Dak runs like he is wearing lead pants... so that doesn't help either. They need another true weapon on Offense.

The defense may get a little better, but only up to a certain point. It's still going to get stomped by any decent offense.

 

[ChronicCowboy]

Still looks like 9-8 for me. I hope I’m wrong.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

Bottom line, this is another year without a Super Bowl, which means I'll be turning the big 5 0 before we have another crack at it. Jerry needs to hurry and punch that clock, and Cap Boy, too, if I can be greedy. I'm starting to feel my own mortality over here.

Imagine Jerry's pain, he can see his mortality in the mirror.

 

[MoistMayonnaise]

Still looks like 9-8 for me. I hope I’m wrong.

which way?

 

[CATCH17]

We aren’t very good and we don’t have enough resources to be that great in future years.


You wanted the Dak show. Enjoy.. It’s here to stay.

Hello mediocrity.