Offensive line, offensive line, and more offensive line

[erod]

We apparently didn't need Carl Nicks, nor did we need to draft a center or guard in the draft. What we needed were two bulkier, younger guards to bracket Costa at center, and Bill Callahan to coach 'em up instead of Hudson Houck.

We'll see tonight.

Until this team has an offensive line that can stand up against elite pass-rushing defensive lines, not a single thing is going to change. This schedule features several teams with good defensive fronts, so this improvement isn't optional, and it can't be patchworked.

The offseason moves have to be correct....or else.

I'm looking forward to watching the new-look defense tonight, but make no mistake, tonight and this entire season rely solely on the offensive line. It has to be dramatically better than last year.

My eyes will be focused intently Smith, Livings, Costa, Bernadeau, and Free tonight.

 

[CATCH17]

We apparently didn't need Carl Nicks, nor did we need to draft a center or guard in the draft. What we needed were two bulkier, younger guards to bracket Costa at center, and Bill Callahan to coach 'em up instead of Hudson Houck.

We'll see tonight.

Until this team has an offensive line that can stand up against elite pass-rushing defensive lines, not a single thing is going to change. This schedule features several teams with good defensive fronts, so this improvement isn't optional, and it can't be patchworked.

The offseason moves have to be correct....or else.

I'm looking forward to watching the new-look defense tonight, but make no mistake, tonight and this entire season rely solely on the offensive line. It has to be dramatically better than last year.

My eyes will be focused intently Smith, Livings, Costa, Bernadeau, and Free tonight.

I disagree. Unless the Cowboys are just different from all of these other elite teams, like the Giants, who can still win it all with average O-Lines.


BTW, good or bad we won't know what kind of O-Line we have until we play 3 or 4 games.


Everything changes last year if Austin doesn't lose that ball in the lights. Don't forget that.

 

[InmanRoshi]

The only thing tonight is going to prove is people's pre-existing confirmation bias. If you come into this game believing the OL is a disaster, this game is going to do nothing to change your opinion. If the OL plays amazing, it will "just be one game, we'll see in December". If the OL plays fair with mixed results, you'll focus on all the bad plays and ignore the good ones. If the OL plays horrible, you'll declare the offseason was a disaster and they'll never get any better since you already believed it anyway.


The bottomline is that reality has proven you don't need a dominant offensive line to win Superbowls, and the Cowboys addressed the OL unit as much as any unit on the team other than secondary ... as it should have been. The Cowboys OL currently doesn't have any more "questions" than the two teams who played in the Superbowl last year.

 

[erod]

I disagree. Unless the Cowboys are just different from all of these other elite teams, like the Giants, who can still win it all with average O-Lines.


BTW, good or bad we won't know what kind of O-Line we have until we play 3 or 4 games.

If the Giants line is average, our line last year was 30 pegs below average.

I'd accept average versus the embarassment we've run out there in recent years.

You beat the Giants by getting to 2nd-and- and 3rd-and-1 consistently. You'll get killed if you're consistently in 3rd-and-long, which the Cowboys have been against good defenses for years now.

 

[InmanRoshi]

If the Giants line is average, our line last year was 30 pegs below average..

I can only imagine the massive poutrage and hysteria if the Cowboys opened Week 1 with Sean Locklear as our starting blindside tackle.

 

[CATCH17]

If the Giants line is average, our line last year was 30 pegs below average.

I'd accept average versus the embarassment we've run out there in recent years.

You beat the Giants by getting to 2nd-and- and 3rd-and-1 consistently. You'll get killed if you're consistently in 3rd-and-long, which the Cowboys have been against good defenses for years now.

A lot of times the Cowboys lose is because of dumb stuff they do to themselves.

Our Oline stunk last year but yet our QB passed for 4000+ yards, and our running game went over 1400 yards.


Where this Oline needs to improve from last year is getting short yardage.

 

[erod]

The only thing tonight is going to prove is people's pre-existing confirmation bias. If you come into this game believing the OL is a disaster, this game is going to do nothing to change your opinion. If the OL plays amazing, it will "just be one game, we'll see in December". If the OL plays fair with mixed results, you'll focus on all the bad plays and ignore the good ones. If the OL plays horrible, you'll declare the offseason was a disaster and they'll never get any better.


The bottomline is that reality has proven you don't need a dominant offensive line to win Superbowls, and the Cowboys addressed the OL unit as much as any unit on the team other than secondary ... as it should have been.

I'm not expecting early-90s offensive line domination. I'm hoping for slightly better than average. We couldn't gain anything last year on the ground against good defenses, and Romo's scrambling covered it up and made us look occasionally decent against good defenses.

If Livings and Bernadeau aren't demonstably better than last year's guards, it'll be a long year. I think they are better, just waiting to see how much better.

 

[InmanRoshi]

I'm not expecting early-90s offensive line domination.

Evidently the 90s OL wasn't that great. Our starting QB repeatedly got hurt playing behind them, and that's apparently the end-all/be-all judge as to how offensive lines play.

 

[erod]

A lot of times the Cowboys lose is because of dumb stuff they do to themselves.

Our Oline stunk last year but yet our QB passed for 4000+ yards, and our running game went over 1400 yards.


Where this Oline needs to improve from last year is getting short yardage.

The team ran up gaudy stats against the Bills, Seawhawks, Rams, etc, and Romo had to scramble his way out of some horrific protection issues.

I'm hopeful, but if you want Romo to see this end of the season, that line has to be a lot better. Another year of broken ribs or a broken collar bone because of missed protection assignments is inexcusable when the problem has been so apparent for sooooooo long.

 

[03EBZ06]

You can't judge the O-Line with just one game. It isn't like they have been playing together for while. You have two FAs, two players switching positions, and some hampered with injuries, they really haven't been able to play together to make anything out of it from the first game of the season, win or lose.

 

[erod]

Evidently the 90s OL wasn't that great. Our starting QB repeatedly got hurt playing behind them, and that's apparently the end-all/be-all judge as to how offensive lines play.

It was the best offensive line ever assembled. It put together numerous rushing titles for Emmitt Smith, and Troy just stood back there and surveyed the field at will.

He got hurt before it was assembled, and after it fell part later in the 90s, but for five years, it was the best I ever witnessed.

 

[CATCH17]

The team ran up gaudy stats against the Bills, Seawhawks, Rams, etc, and Romo had to scramble his way out of some horrific protection issues.

I'm hopeful, but if you want Romo to see this end of the season, that line has to be a lot better. Another year of broken ribs or a broken collar bone because of missed protection assignments is inexcusable when the problem has been so apparent for sooooooo long.

What screwed us last year was the defense in the both Philly and Giants games. We can't afford to have our defense make our offense 1 demensional.


As pathetic as our Oline was, it was good enough to win the NFC East. It's gotta be better this year. Dallas gave those 2 guards 30 mill so it better be.

 

[Doomsday101]

I fully expect the Giants front will make plays they are a quality team with very good talent up front. I also expect our offense to make big plays, this is going to be a tough, close games and both teams will make plays so any notion of a shut out by one team or the other is a big far fetched.

 

[PhillyCowboysFan]

The Cowboys OL currently doesn't have any more "questions" than the two teams who played in the Superbowl last year.

That is a very good quote!

 

[InmanRoshi]

He got hurt before it was assembled, and after it fell part later in the 90s, but for five years, it was the best I ever witnessed.

Your memory is pretty flakey, then. I assume you're 5 years stretch is from 1991-1996. Steve Buerlein had to play for a long stretch of the season in 1991, and Bernie Kosar had to fill in for Troy in the 1993 NFC Championship game. And Jason Garrett having to play a Thanksgiving Game against the Packers in 1994, and Rodney Peete playing an important December game against the Eagles that same year.

 

[erod]

That is a very good quote!

That was a ridiculous statement. Phil Costa is the only player returning to the same position as last year, and you think we have the same questions as the two Super Bowl teams?

It's hard to even begin to debate that. It's like saying water is dry.

 

[Cowboyz88]

So you're saying offensive line is an issue?

Who knew?

Seriously, there could be a thread on the type of shoe strings the team wears and some yahoo comes in screaming, "offensive line stinks! offensive line stinks!"

Yes, I know I opened the thread and decided to comment, but I do so simply to ask, for the millionth time, "what Cowboys fan on this board doesn't know that offensive line is an issue?"

I've asked many times before without a concrete reply for one fan who says all is well with the offensive line, and no one's yet to show me that fan because he/she doesn't exist.

As ridiculous as fans can be on this board, we all know the OL has issues!

So for the love of Pete, let us play at least 8 games with the same OL, before we get back to screaming the sky is blue.

Oh, and I'm just gonna go out on a limb and say that the FO throws a lot of resources at the OL in the offseason...call it a hunch.

 

[Dwight]

A lot of times the Cowboys lose is because of dumb stuff they do to themselves.

Our Oline stunk last year but yet our QB passed for 4000+ yards, and our running game went over 1400 yards.


Where this Oline needs to improve from last year is getting short yardage.

You have a valid point about Romo's stat, but Romo can move out of the pocket alot. If it was not for Romo, that online last year would have given up more sacks.

 

[Yoshimitsu]

Offensive line can be the most overrated position in sports and the most underrated.

The game is won in the trenches. I agree. But the offensive line is made by continuity by playing side by side with each other. Its not lets get a bunch of skilled guys and slap them together. It doesn't work like that. They have to get more experience knowing each others tendencies and communication tactics because that is what the pro's are about when it comes to the offensive line is communication and chemistry.


They my start off a little shoddy but i guarantee you by week 6 you will see visible improvement if all the starters stay healthy and continue to build with each other.

 

[bigE79]

Your memory is pretty flakey, then. I assume you're 5 years stretch is from 1991-1996. Steve Buerlein had to play for a long stretch of the season in 1991, and Bernie Kosar had to fill in for Troy in the 1993 NFC Championship game. And Jason Garrett having to play a Thanksgiving Game against the Packers in 1994, and Rodney Peete playing an important December game against the Eagles that same year.

That's gonna leave a mark,lol