Observations after approximately 23.5% of the season

[Denim Chicken]

On the flip side I struggle to see how the offense really improves without acquiring more talent on that side of the football.

The improving Ceedee and Dak connection will help. MM calling more than one route would be great as well.

 

[noshame]

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.

Don't look at the next few weeks of the schedule LOL.

 

[rambo2]

Don't look at the next few weeks of the schedule LOL.

One game at a time. 2 wins already in the bank.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Of course it is, but again, putting the blame on the defense and making excuses for the offense is wrong. Both contribute to the suckage.

oh, I blame both. but I am not putting just the offense on notice.

but when the defense makes absolute zero stops in 6 drives against the saints....then they are at fault.
when they allow the ravens to score
4 out of first 6 drives agains the ravens
and giants didn't punt until end of 3rd quarter.

that's on defense. not offense.

you need both. right now we are handicapped on both sides.

 

[nightrain]

This is a bad football team that played another bad football team and squeaked by with a win. 3 or 4 games without Parsons and DLaw will be exploited in a big way by opposing offenses. Look for Justin Fields to have a career day against the Cowboys next week. I agree with the premise of the Cowboys defense possibly being better than their offense, but not with #11 and #90 out.

My original prediction of 9-8 for this team is no longer with any confidence. McCarthy will not finish out the season and Jerry has set the table for another Campo-like run.

 

[Diehardblues]

We’ll know more in next couple of weeks . We could be 2-4 very easily at the bye with SF and Phil the next 2 of 3 games after bye.

Our 50% of season evaluation may provide us a much clearer picture where this season could be headed.

And why haven’t we activated Cook from PS yet maybe he’s got something to add at RB. Oh and why isn’t Zeke getting more snaps ?

Our RB situation is very mysterious. I’m thinking there’s something they aren’t telling us.

 

[LysleE]

As another poster alluded to…this is nothing new for the Cowboys. The team is not as talented as people think; they don’t have good coaching and their schemes are not compatible with the modern day NFL.

The same problems persist: poor run defense and no effective running game. The better teams will have no need to play their safeties in the box and can play deep, forcing Dak to navigate extra defenders…I expect CD to be doubled.

Jerry will have the team pumped up over this victory no doubt; and tell them how great they are and they can make the playoffs…then they will go out and get exposed by any number of the teams they play in the next six-weeks.

 

[thunderpimp91]

The improving Ceedee and Dak connection will help. MM calling more than one route would be great as well.

Maybe. Lamb is already on pace for close to 1400 yards so I do think the Lamb/Dak connection can only get so much more better. They already run a pretty full route tree with Lamb, I think part of the issue is they really dont have a great route runner aside from Lamb. I love Ferg but hes mainly limited to underneath routes. Cooks seems to have lost a step, Tolbert seems to be a north/south player, and Turpin can't get snaps.

 

[sbark]

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

But that was recent with the huge rash of injuries to ram o.line etc

....1st 2 games not as many rookie snaps.
Might even out now

 

[Rogerthat12]

The team has regressed to be sure and is simply not good enough to compete for a title this year.

I do not see this team making the postseason and even if they do, they will not be able to compete with better teams.

Gonna need to replace the head coach and add some talent in both the draft and free agency (more than the bargain bin or expect more of the same).

Jerrah and his dumb son are not going anywhere unfortunately so we can only hope they get desperate enough to hire the right head coach and adjust their stupid free agency bargain bin only approach, it is not working.

This team needs more talent and must fix both the running game and stopping the run with new talent, you can not consistently win much less compete for a title with these substantive deficiencies.

 

[Bobhaze]

The same problems persist: poor run defense and no effective running game. The better teams will have no need to play their safeties in the box and can play deep, forcing Dak to navigate extra defenders…I expect CD to be doubled.

Well said. The point that I believe is killing this offense is the lack of respect defenses have for the run game.

As you said, defenses are so unconcerned about our running game, their safeties are playing super deep which makes the passing game much harder to have many options. This deep safety drop forces a ton of short passes quite simply because there’s nothing else there.

When I see fans screaming about all the check downs, I think they believe Dak Is just not trying to throw it deeper. If we want a better passing game, we could start by having a running game that makes the safeties have to be honest and cheat up toward the box.

 

[Blackrain]

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

I think all Jerry sees in The mirror is the dollar sign it's all that seems to matter to him no matter what pile of BS he speaks to us

 

[Blackrain]

Well said. The point that I believe is killing this offense is the lack of respect defenses have for the run game.

As you said, defenses are so unconcerned about our running game, their safeties are playing super deep which makes the passing game much harder to have many options. This deep safety drop forces a ton of short passes quite simply because there’s nothing else there.

When I see fans screaming about all the check downs, I think they believe Dak Is just not trying to throw it deeper. If we want a better passing game, we could start by having a running game that makes the safeties have to be honest and cheat up toward the box.

I agree Bob and have preached it forever DAk needs the help of a power running game to be successful.

At this point I would really like to see what dalvin cook has in the tank I mean what do we have to lose at this point.

Unfortunately I truly believe that our young offensive lineman are a year in the weight room away and we are a second round draft pick on a running back away from having a respectable running game.

 

[Blackrain]

Good summary. But don't forget we still are atrocious when it comes to penalties!!! Getting real tired of seeing a flag thrown after a good play!! That ref crew last night was brutal. And I know it's not anything new. We've been like this for several years with no answer to fix it!!

And it doesn't help the penalty situation playing all these rookies as they tend to have some growing pains and make some mistakes adjusting to the NFL

 

[Blackrain]

They had an undrafted Romo on the cheap and didn't exactly break the bank to surround him with high priced free agents.

They had Dak on a cheap rookie deal and didn't splurge on high priced free agents.

Jerry has a proven track record. He likes banking money, not paying for top dollar players in free agency.

Yes he sure makes a habit of not taking advantage of the window of opportunity when your quarterback is on their rookie contract and you can actually add the most talent to your team

 

[DogFace]

A great football quote I heard was “when you’re asking me how good the football team is, you’re really asking me how good my D line is”

Ours isn’t very good right now, but does have the potential to improve. Who knows with D law and Micah out maybe someone steps up…not sure who that is. Maybe Kneeland?