Offensive Line the problem

[burmafrd]

So you're going to judge player’s ability on his first training camp and a pre-season game????

At that rate Mo Claiborne is an injury bust!

by his logic don't bother to draft anyone high or do anything at all for the O line

Let Romo get worked

I nominate him for GM of the year!

 

[Doomsdayblitz]

The Stealers drafted OG DeCastro in the 1st round and OT Mike Adams in the 2nd round. How's that plan working out? Looked great on paper. Turns out neither is ready to play right now and their secondary is getting torched, beat by the winless Raiders and the hapless Carson Palmer, giving up 34 pts.

"Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson

You don't always draft high with expectations of immediate success. Does anyone doubt that DeCastro will be a dominating OG when it's all said & done? AFA Adams, he showed horrible judgement before the draft. The Steelers gambled & lost. You can't judge one team's problems with the idea overall. Look at the Pats. They have an outstanding line with multiple high picks.

They don't always have to be high picks. You need someone like an Ozzie Newsome who has "it" to bring in hidden gems. Jimmy did it with tremendous success. Jerry & Co. just don't have "it", & they need to find someone that does.

 

[visionary]

The Stealers drafted OG DeCastro in the 1st round and OT Mike Adams in the 2nd round. How's that plan working out? Looked great on paper. Turns out neither is ready to play right now and their secondary is getting torched, beat by the winless Raiders and the hapless Carson Palmer, giving up 34 pts.

"Everyone's got a plan until they get punched in the mouth" - Mike Tyson

yeah, the team that is recognizing and trying to address the problem is the stupid one and the one ignoring it is the smart one

 

[Idgit]

I disagree. Smith played poorly the first two weeks and wasn't looking like he was emerging from anything.

I still maintain that Livings has played well and has been our best most consistent lineman so far. Not saying that means much but he has been playing better than the emerger.

Livings has played well under some tough circumstances. And Smith has no choice but to continue to develop. Cook, also hasn't been as bad as people choose to believe; they just don't like that he's starting for us and was available for the trade of a low-round pick.

Mack struggled last week, but at least it was against a good player. Free's been bad with troubles both with inside moves and with anchoring when he needs to.

But, overwhelmingly, the problems on offense have had to do with the game situations (the 10 point hole in SEA) and the down-and-distance situations. And most of those have had to do with the C position being so unsettled. Once those issues are addressed, our offense will be respectable. I'm much more worried with what I've seen on ST, frankly, which is inexplicably disorganized and might not be as easy to fix.

One thing I'd mention, too. I hadn't spent much time watching other teams yet this season until this weekend. I was surprised to see the same types of organizational issues with other offensive teams. GB looked almost as disorganized offensively against SEA as we did, and there were, what, 24 flags thrown in the NE/BAL game last weekend? A lot of what we're seeing sucks, but it's not all specific to the Cowboys.

 

[Idgit]

yeah, the team that is recognizing and trying to address the problem is the stupid one and the one ignoring it is the smart one

Or maybe...bear with me here...our problem wasn't just with the OL. Maybe we recognized and successfully addressed our much bigger problem in the secondary at the same time we made significant changes along the OL.

And maybe, unlike the Stealers, we fixed the problem we actually addressed and you're overreacting some more to the issue because you'd prefer to think that the problem was not getting different OGs when what we've really got is an expensive veteran OT who's signed long-term and not playing very well.

 

[speedkilz88]

Honestly, I hope the chances are slim.

I think Cook is doing well enough.

Cook has played a large role in all the false start penalties and lack of running game.

 

[RS12]

Or maybe...bear with me here...our problem wasn't just with the OL. Maybe we recognized and successfully addressed our much bigger problem in the secondary at the same time we made significant changes along the OL.

And maybe, unlike the Stealers, we fixed the problem we actually addressed and you're overreacting some more to the issue because you'd prefer to think that the problem was not getting different OGs when what we've really got is an expensive veteran OT who's signed long-term and not playing very well.

I agree both were huge problems. Most people thought all along that a better job was done fixing the secondary than the O Line. So far most people were right.

 

[Kangaroo]

Honestly, I hope the chances are slim.

I think Cook is doing well enough.

I think Having Costa back could improve the line put costa at center move cook to RG and we may just improve now RT the only real Option is to try Parnell

 

[visionary]

Or maybe...bear with me here...our problem wasn't just with the OL. Maybe we recognized and successfully addressed our much bigger problem in the secondary at the same time we made significant changes along the OL.

And maybe, unlike the Stealers, we fixed the problem we actually addressed and you're overreacting some more to the issue because you'd prefer to think that the problem was not getting different OGs when what we've really got is an expensive veteran OT who's signed long-term and not playing very well.

perhaps these concepts are too complicated for some of oyu so let me dumb them down a little

of course the team had several issues the glaring 2 were the secondary and the OL

of course if you pay a CB 20+ million, another 50+ million, and spend your 2 highest draft picks on another, one of the problems will get addressed

the issue is though, that the objective is not to "get the secondary fixed at any cost" but rather to "build a TEAM so we can win games"

in view of this, it would be far smarter to divide up the available resources and spend adequate resources addressing both problems

not address one by expending 95% of the resources and pay lip service to the other need

of course our GM has no idea how to build a team and has no plan so this is just par for the course

 

[Idgit]

I agree both were huge problems. Most people thought all along that a better job was done fixing the secondary than the O Line. So far most people were right.

I can't imagine anybody not thinking that, considering where the resources were spent.

But most of the criticism of the OL moves, you have to admit, we directed at our C position. Second most popular targets were the FA OGs because there were two blue-chip players available and we didn't even try to go after one of them. Our OTs were the least of the worries both because they were young and we had a top-10 selection in one of those positions, and because we'd invested our salary cap resources in the players we had and all knew it wasn't reasonable to expect that to change.

So what happens? After three games the O has looked really bad for mostly obvious and explainable reasons. Our (relatively) expensive RT is not playing well, and people are morphing the massive overreaction they had in the offseason re: C/OG into a fantasy validation that they saw this coming and that Jerry's an idiot. It's predictable, and it's not accurate.

Clean up the drops. Clean up the penalties that are directly related to having a new OC that had no training camp with the team. Let the better downs-and-distance force defenses to defend both the run and the pass on second and third downs. Get out of the negative situations where you're obviously throwing on 2nd and 12, and you're going to see much more competitive offensive play.

Until that happens, no amount of fantasizing about trading Mike Jenkins to NE for the rights to Brian Waters is going to make any difference whatsoever.

 

[ryanbabs]

We won five without him in 2010 and that was with a crappy defense. With this defense we could be 8-8 without Romo.

Does that make you feel better? This OL is by far the Achilles heel. You're only as strong as your weakest link.

 

[Mr Cowboy]

Cook has played a large role in all the false start penalties and lack of running game.

Cook had only been here for 3 games, the false start penalties have been around for 10 years............

 

[Idgit]

perhaps these concepts are too complicated for some of oyu so let me dumb them down a little

of course the team had several issues the glaring 2 were the secondary and the OL

of course if you pay a CB 20+ million, another 50+ million, and spend your 2 highest draft picks on another, one of the problems will get addressed

the issue is though, that the objective is not to "get the secondary fixed at any cost" but rather to "build a TEAM so we can win games"

in view of this, it would be far smarter to divide up the available resources and spend adequate resources addressing both problems

not address one by expending 95% of the resources and pay lip service to the other need

of course our GM has no idea how to build a team and has no plan so this is just par for the course

Well, at least you were successful in making the post dumb enough.

Again, the offensive issue isn't with the FA OG resources the team identified and addressed in the offseason. And, again, we're a very winnable game away from the 3-1--and-in-first-place-at-the-bye position we all wanted to get to despite the litany of offensive miscues we've had to overcome.

That's not so bad for a couple of guys who have no idea how to build a team, is it? Or does the fact that you don't like how we've gotten here ruin your ability to enjoy the actual victories?

 

[Idgit]

Cook had only been here for 3 games, the false start penalties have been around for 10 years............

Really? You really don't see the obvious correlation between the new OC and the *number* of false start penalties? Really? Please.

 

[reddyuta]

We could move the ball against anybody if we cut turnovers on offense and false starts,our defense is good and we should lean on it but we cannot give away free points at the start of every game.