Only four short years ago

[gjkoeppen]

a mediocre team at best year in and year out....

Ya list all the mediocre 13-3 teams which is what the Cowboys were in 2016 and then name all the mediocre teams that get to the divisional round of the playoffs like the Cowboys did in 2018. Wow does a team have to go 15-1 or 16-0 to not be considered mediocre?
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[GMO415]

Shhhh happens

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

In 2016, was the first time I felt this team had a real identity as a smash mouth running team with an opportunistic passing game.

We had at it all in front of us....

 

[dsturgeon]

you forget knight for 2-3 games , Dalton 2-3 games, zeke with weak Hammy, and lets not forget trading Griffin and cutting Poe, Haha and few others etc etc

i get it its insane how the fans see this year as the DC surely suk and fell off cliff, they act as if we are this bad with ours regular team when in fact this is our JV team..

we will bounce back Year 2 Mm era and after a solid draft and nice FA or two, will surprise like we did in 2016 after 2015s similar season..

I am more optimistic. I think they start bouncing back this Sunday, win the division, and look strong by the end of the season.

 

[Scottishcowboy]

I don't think we are that far away, I really don't! The difference between a 6-3 team and a 3-6 team really isn't that much..............a couple of injuries, an interception, a bad ref call, a couple of good players in the draft (2016!!!) and things look different. Look at the 49rs in the last few years up and down like a yo-yo. It's not pre free agency anymore where the powerhouse teams were a step above the rest, the difference is wafer-thin between the teams so these very small adjustments/ luck can change our record in just 1 season.

I honestly don't think it's impossible that we do a 2015-2016 turnaround again next year. Next year's schedule has us against the AFC West and NFC South so outside the Chiefs, who's going to be a nightmare? A year older Brady and Brees? A rebuilding Falcons and Panthers? Broncos? I can't see WFT, Eagles or Giants being very good either. We may also have last place schedule so the Lions too.

2016s 13-3 repeating in 2021 may not be that far-fetched!

 

[CWR]

This may very well be a reincarnation of the year before that. Let’s see if 2021 is the next 2016, the roster circumstances are eerily similar.

I laugh at the notion of a rebuild, especially one that takes multiple years. The NFL is very fluid and we can go from 4-12 to 12-4 in one season. This team still has a top 5 offense when Dak is healthy. We could turn over this defense using most of our assets, in an offseason. Then we are competing all over again.

 

[Typhus]

Its pretty much been 2 things: Coaching and the inability of Jerry to build a good defense.

We have had great franchise QB's in Romo and Dak which is usually the hardest thing to get.

Much easier to obtain franchise QBs now.
Its a very outdated narrative that its difficult to draft a franchise QB.
Just ask ..
Arizona
Cin
Buf
KC
LAC
All drafted within the past 4 years franchise QBs, if we wanted to expand to 5 years the list would expand,, you know who they are.
So saying or believing that we have to be somewhat stuck with Dak and his cap demands is not reality.

 

[Typhus]

I laugh at the notion of a rebuild, especially one that takes multiple years. The NFL is very fluid and we can go from 4-12 to 12-4 in one season. This team still has a top 5 offense when Dak is healthy. We could turn over this defense using most of our assets, in an offseason. Then we are competing all over again.

Then you probably laugh a lot,, this entire league is in constant rebuild, 4-5 year rookie contracts and renegotiating early because of performance... its a constant rebuild if your doing it right.
The trick is deciding which players you give the 2nd contract to...
Tyron Smith was great.. even though many shallow minds disagree
Zeke, Jaylon , Lawrence were mega failures out of desperation.. many here will argue, but I look at those contracts as monumental failures, and I will not move off that premise.

 

[817Gill]

I laugh at the notion of a rebuild, especially one that takes multiple years. The NFL is very fluid and we can go from 4-12 to 12-4 in one season. This team still has a top 5 offense when Dak is healthy. We could turn over this defense using most of our assets, in an offseason. Then we are competing all over again.

Absolutely

 

[Established1971]

The Boys were looking down at the entire league with a record of 9-1...even though that season didn't end the way we wanted but man how times have changed

should have been 10-0

 

[75boyz]

Much easier to obtain franchise QBs now.
Its a very outdated narrative that its difficult to draft a franchise QB.
Just ask ..
Arizona
Cin
Buf
KC
LAC
All drafted within the past 4 years franchise QBs, if we wanted to expand to 5 years the list would expand,, you know who they are.
So saying or believing that we have to be somewhat stuck with Dak and his cap demands is not reality.

Outstanding post. Miami too.

 

[75boyz]

Then you probably laugh a lot,, this entire league is in constant rebuild, 4-5 year rookie contracts and renegotiating early because of performance... its a constant rebuild if your doing it right.
The trick is deciding which players you give the 2nd contract to...
Tyron Smith was great.. even though many shallow minds disagree
Zeke, Jaylon , Lawrence were mega failures out of desperation.. many here will argue, but I look at those contracts as monumental failures, and I will not move off that premise.

At the time I thought Zeke was okay because of his age but have since changed my mind.

This is another excellent post I agree with.

Mine is even more catchy with the letter C and this team.

Coaching Choices and Contracts (given).

The dreaded C words to this team. And just like cancer, these words seem terminal to this team.

Jerry and Son are their own separate issue.
But not really because they are the ones choosing the coaches and writing the contracts, lol.

 

[Typhus]

Outstanding post. Miami too.

I knew I had left one out,, thank you, and even more proof that franchise level QB are more accessible than ever before.

 

[Motorola]

The Boys were looking down at the entire league with a record of 9-1...even though that season didn't end the way we wanted but man how times have changed

This could be said about a few teams in the NFL this season.
2016 - Falcons 11-5, Patriots 14 -2 on the their way to the Super Bowl.
Giants were on the Cowboys' heels with an 11-5 record and made the playoffs, both teams went 7-1 at home. Rams finished 2016 at 4-12, Browns 1-15.