Reality Check Time

[Verdict]

I think that Elliott being drafted in the top 4 players in the entire draft, at a time when the running back position has been devalued to the point where there are years when a running back isn't taken until late in the first round, or not at all, says volumes. It says that the Cowboys' evaluation of Elliott is that he is a rare talent on par with Adrian Peterson. Whether that evaluation turns out to be accurate or not remains to be seen, but if it is accurate, the Cowboys should be able to win 8 games with Elliott running behind this line, really without much more than a bus driver at QB. Romo is proven to be more than a bus driver. Dak has shown signs that he is as well.

Is this defense good enough to win a Super Bowl? I'm not sure. The smart money would be betting against it, but if we have a top 5 offense, and a great running game which controls time of possession, it would hide a lot of warts on defense. If Lee were to go down early in the season, I think the odds go down even further. The wild card in this is Jaylon Smith. If Smith were to start improving in the first couple of the weeks of the season, he might be a huge boost in the last quarter of the season and the playoffs.

Injuries matter. Suspensions matter. We get Lawrence back after game 4 which will be a shot in the arm for the defense. If Tapper gets healthy enough to be a factor, then we also get a shot in the arm there. I'm not counting on anything from Gregory. The ice is too thin to walk on as it pertains to him.

Injuries happen to every team. It makes a lot of difference who the injuries happen to. Losing Scandrick is harder on the team than losing a guy like Wilcox. We just need to avoid injuries at key positions and to key players. Luck comes into play there.

Luck also comes into play on other teams too. Wentz starting makes both Philly games more winnable than if Bradford were at the helm. Tom Brady not starting the first 4 games could cost the Patriots a playoff spot. The margin for error gets a lot thinner if you spot your opponents 4 games. Other teams have adversity too.

I was listening to Sirius NFL radio tonight and they were discussing how the Packers have pissed away a majority of Rodger's career only having one SB victory to show for it, and the team's arrow is pointing down. The Packer's run defense is apparently atrocious, and they will apparently be starting four (count 'em) four undrafted players in their secondary this year.

We have problems. We have holes. But we are better overall than we have been in some time. If we can get to the playoffs and stay relatively healthy, then we have as good a shot as anyone, especially if our opponents find some of our bad luck.

Barring injury, we could have a top 5 offense, and likely lead the league in rushing the ball. Hell we could end up with the number one offense with all the talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Saints won a super bowl with arguably less talent on their team than we have on ours. It can happen. It has happened.

If we have a top 5 offense and appear to be heading for the playoffs, our owner, which many of you despise, might seek a trade to bolster the defense prior to the trade deadline, if it were in a critical position. Lots of things can happen. Its going to be a fun ride, and find out what twists and turns this season will provide. A grocery store clerk won a super bowl for the Rams and became the greatest show on turf. Let's get the positive vibes going and see what develops.

 

[Kaiser]

I think that Elliott being drafted in the top 4 players in the entire draft, at a time when the running back position has been devalued to the point where there are years when a running back isn't taken until late in the first round, or not at all, says volumes. It says that the Cowboys' evaluation of Elliott is that he is a rare talent on par with Adrian Peterson. Whether that evaluation turns out to be accurate or not remains to be seen, but if it is accurate, the Cowboys should be able to win 8 games with Elliott running behind this line, really without much more than a bus driver at QB. Romo is proven to be more than a bus driver. Dak has shown signs that he is as well.

Great post, I've been thinking about the Giants game and I do think it will be exactly like this (and like the 2014 season). Dallas will control the game by running Zeke and throwing high percentage passes to Dez and Witten, with the occasion screen and deep out.

There will be mountains of analysis and TV commentary beforehand but after the game there will be a lot talk of "the game isn't so complicated after all. If you dominant in the running game, you will the game".

 

[xwalker]

I think that Elliott being drafted in the top 4 players in the entire draft, at a time when the running back position has been devalued to the point where there are years when a running back isn't taken until late in the first round, or not at all, says volumes. It says that the Cowboys' evaluation of Elliott is that he is a rare talent on par with Adrian Peterson. Whether that evaluation turns out to be accurate or not remains to be seen, but if it is accurate, the Cowboys should be able to win 8 games with Elliott running behind this line, really without much more than a bus driver at QB. Romo is proven to be more than a bus driver. Dak has shown signs that he is as well.

Is this defense good enough to win a Super Bowl? I'm not sure. The smart money would be betting against it, but if we have a top 5 offense, and a great running game which controls time of possession, it would hide a lot of warts on defense. If Lee were to go down early in the season, I think the odds go down even further. The wild card in this is Jaylon Smith. If Smith were to start improving in the first couple of the weeks of the season, he might be a huge boost in the last quarter of the season and the playoffs.

Injuries matter. Suspensions matter. We get Lawrence back after game 4 which will be a shot in the arm for the defense. If Tapper gets healthy enough to be a factor, then we also get a shot in the arm there. I'm not counting on anything from Gregory. The ice is too thin to walk on as it pertains to him.

Injuries happen to every team. It makes a lot of difference who the injuries happen to. Losing Scandrick is harder on the team than losing a guy like Wilcox. We just need to avoid injuries at key positions and to key players. Luck comes into play there.

Luck also comes into play on other teams too. Wentz starting makes both Philly games more winnable than if Bradford were at the helm. Tom Brady not starting the first 4 games could cost the Patriots a playoff spot. The margin for error gets a lot thinner if you spot your opponents 4 games. Other teams have adversity too.

I was listening to Sirius NFL radio tonight and they were discussing how the Packers have pissed away a majority of Rodger's career only having one SB victory to show for it, and the team's arrow is pointing down. The Packer's run defense is apparently atrocious, and they will apparently be starting four (count 'em) four undrafted players in their secondary this year.

We have problems. We have holes. But we are better overall than we have been in some time. If we can get to the playoffs and stay relatively healthy, then we have as good a shot as anyone, especially if our opponents find some of our bad luck.

Barring injury, we could have a top 5 offense, and likely lead the league in rushing the ball. Hell we could end up with the number one offense with all the talent on the offensive side of the ball. The Saints won a super bowl with arguably less talent on their team than we have on ours. It can happen. It has happened.

If we have a top 5 offense and appear to be heading for the playoffs, our owner, which many of you despise, might seek a trade to bolster the defense prior to the trade deadline, if it were in a critical position. Lots of things can happen. Its going to be a fun ride, and find out what twists and turns this season will provide. A grocery store clerk won a super bowl for the Rams and became the greatest show on turf. Let's get the positive vibes going and see what develops.

I don't think the Packers have 4 starting DBs that were undrafted. I think it's 1 ( Sam Shields).

 

[LocimusPrime]

Very positive vibes OP.

Ok, our offense looked good w Dak in preseason and I hope that carries over to the regular season. However, he is a rookie and will be facing different defenses and schemes that he hasn't seen before. As for Romo, I hope he gets back soon although he might have done considerable rust. I can't remember when the last time he played an entire game and looked good and efficient. I guess it would have to be Sept 13, 2015 when he completed 36 of 45 for 356 yards 3 tds and 2 ints ( the 2 ints are no Bueno).

Overall, our defense has improved at the DT spot, and marginally in the secondary. The DE and LB positions are concerning and should be improved. I'm also concerned with the Depth at DT. T Crawford and McClain were both injured last year, and Collins ( rookie) is recovering from a broken foot. If McClain holds true to form and gets injured, and T Crawford gets a little groin pull or something, we are in trouble.

In the end, we should be able to win our division and head into the playoffs. I don't expect us to be super bowl contenders but we should be a decent team anywhere from 8-8 to 10-6. Go Cowboys.

 

[kiheikiwi]

Is the Offense good enough to get to a SB ? On paper yes, and I feel pretty confidant about that side of the ball.

Is the Defense good enough to get to a SB ? Hell no, not even close !

 

[DogFace]

I think Dak's running will be the key along with Zeke running. Having a very mobile QB is something we haven't had since Roger. It provides another dimension that combined with our stacked offense will make up for him being a rookie and have us in good position when Tony comes back.

 

[nobody]

My reality checks always bounce, but I have a good feeling about the fight this team has in them.

 

[xvendettax914]

Great post, I've been thinking about the Giants game and I do think it will be exactly like this (and like the 2014 season). Dallas will control the game by running Zeke and throwing high percentage passes to Dez and Witten, with the occasion screen and deep out.

There will be mountains of analysis and TV commentary beforehand but after the game there will be a lot talk of "the game isn't so complicated after all. If you dominant in the running game, you will the game".

perhaps the pre-season success contributed most to This hunch, but I suspect Bryce butler is going to play a huge role in this game. I can see an ogletree type game that everyone forgets about him and then boom..

 

[CouchCoach]

The one reality in the NFL is that there will be teams that will disappoint and surprise this season as in every season and there's no reason why we can't be one of them. As to which we'll be, that depends on what you're expecting.

I thought we had an offense good enough to win the East and make some noise but not enough to get to the NFC Champs game because of the defense. If Dak can just be serviceable, the team can be a duplicate of 2014.

If we make the playoffs, that's where the defense becomes an albatross. It wasn't their offenses and star QBs that got CAR and DEN to the SB last season. In 2014, we got lucky against DET with some questionable calls and mediocre defense. That caught up to us in GB.

In order for this team to cover for it's defense, they must return to 2014's offense and force teams to take chances on offense and increase our turnover opportunities as that was the difference in 2014. While defense wins championships, it doesn't have to be shutdown, just opportunistic as IND and NO have proven.

My only real expectation about this season is that I expect our players to fight hard and leave nothing in the locker room. And that's good enough for me.