Reality just arrived

[Stash]

This is a 1 day old myth IMHO. Everyone seems positive on the defense today, however, I'm not sold at this point:

• Colin Kaepernick is currently the #1 ranked passer in the NFL with a 125.5 QB rating. He completed 70% of his passes yesterday and averaged 8.7 YPA.
• Defense forced 0 turnovers
• Defense only had 1 sack and beyond that just <ok> general pass rush
• Defense allowed 5.0 ypc against Gore/Hyde. 5.0 ypc will get you killed in this league
• Pass defense looks exactly the same as it did last year -- which shouldn't be surprising -- it's the same guys as 2013
• The lack of cover safeties stands out like a sore thumb

Hope I am wrong about this -- however, from my viewpoint the Cowboys pass defense was terrible, the rush defense was bad (based on the Gore/Hyde's 5.0 ypc), the defense was unable to force a turnover, and the pass rush was subpar.

That's what I saw too.

About the only thing that slowed the 49'ers down was themselves and some highly questionable calls by officials.

 

[Dodger12]

The whole season hinges on Romo and his injury. I don't think he'll ever be what he was and we'll start seeing a steady decline. The wheels haven't fallen off yet so be patient. It's going to get much worse before it gets better.

 

[BoysFan4ever]

This is a 1 day old myth IMHO. Everyone seems positive on the defense today, however, I'm not sold at this point:

• Colin Kaepernick is currently the #1 ranked passer in the NFL with a 125.5 QB rating. He completed 70% of his passes yesterday and averaged 8.7 YPA.
• Defense forced 0 turnovers
• Defense only had 1 sack and beyond that just <ok> general pass rush
• Defense allowed 5.0 ypc against Gore/Hyde. 5.0 ypc will get you killed in this league
• Pass defense looks exactly the same as it did last year -- which shouldn't be surprising -- it's the same guys as 2013
• The lack of cover safeties stands out like a sore thumb

Hope I am wrong about this -- however, from my viewpoint the Cowboys pass defense was terrible, the rush defense was bad (based on the Gore/Hyde's 5.0 ypc), the defense was unable to force a turnover, and the pass rush was subpar.

I expected terrible & got bad so there's that. The D wasn't as terrible as I thought they'd be. If that makes sense.

The DB's though. They ARE terrible.

 

[perrykemp]

That's what I saw too.

About the only thing that slowed the 49'ers down was themselves and some highly questionable calls by officials.

Best I can tell there is a natural over-reaction here on CZ to the fact the defense was just "bad" as opposed to "terrible". There wasn't much for a fan to hang their hat on from the Cowboys Week 1 performance so the defensive performance is where people are placing their hope.

 

[dupree89]

Let me tell you the odd part of this for me. It's something that has never happened with me before. And I am somewhat of an old man. I started following the Cowboys during the Clint Longley game. Thanksgiving Day 1974. Cowboys over the Commanders.

This is the first year as a fan that I am somewhat disinterested. Didnt bother buying the NFL TV package. But, in Albany NY, I'll still see about 11 of the games. During and after the game yesterday, nothing bothered me.
I usually would be mad and my next 2-3 days would be ruined. I didn't even sit there and watch every play yesterday. After the game, I wasn't upset at all. It was like they didn't even play.

I think I have finally come to grips with the fact that as long as the pecking order of GM, HC, QB is:
1. Jerry Jones
2. Jason Garrett
3. Tony Romo

That there is no hope. And I don't think the lack of anger is something I actually control. It just happened. This year, and for any years to follow, as long as any part of this trifecta is in their current role, I expect nothing good.
Their collective competencies will get us to 6-10, 7-9, 8-8 and nothing more. Just an odd feeling of not being mad after a loss.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

The whole season hinges on Romo and his injury. I don't think he'll ever be what he was and we'll start seeing a steady decline. The wheels haven't fallen off yet so be patient. It's going to get much worse before it gets better.

He's not Aikman 2000 bad yet so there's that.

 

[Idgit]

This is a 1 day old myth IMHO. Everyone seems positive on the defense today, however, I'm not sold at this point:

• Colin Kaepernick is currently the #1 ranked passer in the NFL with a 125.5 QB rating. He completed 70% of his passes yesterday and averaged 8.7 YPA.
• Defense forced 0 turnovers
• Defense only had 1 sack and beyond that just <ok> general pass rush
• Defense allowed 5.0 ypc against Gore/Hyde. 5.0 ypc will get you killed in this league
• Pass defense looks exactly the same as it did last year -- which shouldn't be surprising -- it's the same guys as 2013
• The lack of cover safeties stands out like a sore thumb

Hope I am wrong about this -- however, from my viewpoint the Cowboys pass defense was terrible, the rush defense was bad (based on the Gore/Hyde's 5.0 ypc), the defense was unable to force a turnover, and the pass rush was subpar.

Sadly, that's 'doing ok' by end-of-last-year's standards. We have to be careful about not overstating the defense's performance, but they were still better than I expected. Except for the bad zone coverage stuff. Awful to watch. I hope/don't think that's par for the course for us this season, though. The predominant zone coverage, I mean. For now, I'm expecting that was a by product of the QB we were playing.

Still, I thought we played well in a lot of areas yesterday on both sides of the ball. It was damned by the turnovers, and it's never ok to give up a home loss in a game you can win, but I see no reason to be particularly demoralized for the season just because of this loss. We can still win a lot of games this season playing like we did if we take appropriate care of the football.

 

[theSHOW]

This team will likely win 10 games. OP is not very informed just showed up for the 1st game looked at the score and put his tail between his legs

 

[perrykemp]

Sadly, that's 'doing ok' by end-of-last-year's standards. We have to be careful about not overstating the defense's performance, but they were still better than I expected. Except for the bad zone coverage stuff. Awful to watch. I hope/don't think that's par for the course for us this season, though. The predominant zone coverage, I mean. For now, I'm expecting that was a by product of the QB we were playing.

Still, I thought we played well in a lot of areas yesterday on both sides of the ball. It was damned by the turnovers, and it's never ok to give up a home loss in a game you can win, but I see no reason to be particularly demoralized for the season just because of this loss. We can still win a lot of games this season playing like we did if we take appropriate care of the football.

I agree with your general sentiment. It's just one game -- it's too early to make snap judgements on the season based on this one performance.

 

[PA Cowboy Fan]

Let me tell you the odd part of this for me. It's something that has never happened with me before. And I am somewhat of an old man. I started following the Cowboys during the Clint Longley game. Thanksgiving Day 1974. Cowboys over the Commanders.

This is the first year as a fan that I am somewhat disinterested. Didnt bother buying the NFL TV package. But, in Albany NY, I'll still see about 11 of the games. During and after the game yesterday, nothing bothered me.
I usually would be mad and my next 2-3 days would be ruined. I didn't even sit there and watch every play yesterday. After the game, I wasn't upset at all. It was like they didn't even play.

I think I have finally come to grips with the fact that as long as the pecking order of GM, HC, QB is:
1. Jerry Jones
2. Jason Garrett
3. Tony Romo

That there is no hope. And I don't think the lack of anger is something I actually control. It just happened. This year, and for any years to follow, as long as any part of this trifecta is in their current role, I expect nothing good.
Their collective competencies will get us to 6-10, 7-9, 8-8 and nothing more. Just an odd feeling of not being mad after a loss.

I used to get so invested in these games. Now I watch it. Yell at the tv I mainly laugh at the ineptitude. I don't get mad anymore. I just expect this every week.

 

[Gadfly22]

The big positive from yesterday's game was how the Cowboys managed to get far behind early and never make it a close game. I hate those games where you can fool yourself into thinking the Cowboys can mount a comeback, get some turnovers, hit some TDs quickly, really start to manhandle in the trenches and drop the opposing QB for multiple costly sacks and claw their way back to last-second victory. Yesterday was a blessed relief in seeing how hapless the team was and how it had no reasonable shot at a win or even a respectable defeat. Good times.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

I agree with Nunez21. I thought the Defense was much better then I expected and I thought the OL and the running game, in general, was pretty good. Leary had a tough time, inside with Smith and Free got caught flat footed on a stunt and gave up a lookout block. Smith got bet on that one play so there are some things we need to work on in the pass blocking but in the run game, we were dominant, I thought.

Murray put up 118 on the Niners and if I'm not mistaken, that's the 1st hundred yard rushing game they've allowed in like 17 games and remember, they play Beastmod twice a year, so that was pretty good I thought.

Hard to know what the WRs looked like because Tony was soo inaccurate yesterday, Defensive backfield didn't look good at all I thought. They just struggle playing zone.

Over all, I thought the team looked pretty decent. Tony just didn't play well.

 

[CCBoy]

Reality a surprise? Heck no, he's been here a long time now.

 

[tyke1doe]

The fact that cowboys aren't any good is not a surprise. But how bad they are may have surprised some fans.
This includes me. How about you?

Not surprised AT ALL!!!
Taking emotions and our love for the Cowboys out of the equation, the tea leaves suggested that the Cowboys would be bad. People, you just can't ignore patterns and expect things to be different. That may happen one out of 100,000 times, but that's the exception rather than the norm.
And what are those patterns?

1. This team has only won ONE playoff game since the Clinton Administration.
2. This team hasn't had an authoritative coach since Jimmy Johnson. Oh, Parcells did his best, but he was at the end of his coaching career. And when Jerry Jones - who admits it was like walking on egg shells with Parcells as coach, translation: Parcells wouldn't let him get involved, and it just ate Jerry up - brought in TO against Parcells' wishes (despite what he said publicly) that was the beginning of the end for Parcells and ANY coach who wants to run this operation his way, which includes bringing in his assistants and his players.
3. This team has run this team through Romo instead of making Romo a bus driver. Parcells knew it. He tried to tell us and Jerry. But nnnooooo! We get flashes of brilliance from Romo, and everyone wants to hand him the keys to the Ferrari when he should be driving the Range Rover. Tony Romo is a very, very good quarterback. But he is not the type of quarterback you want to turn your team over to. He's like Favre. If it wasn't for Mike Holgrem (and Jimmy Johnson leaving the Cowboys, which started the decline of Dallas), Favre wouldn't have a Super Bowl ring because Holgrem kind of rein him in and built a defense around him (Reggie White, for example). Favre's boneheaded, reckless interceptions have kept him from being a multiple Super Bowl winner. Romo's reckless ways have kept him from a championship. Yes, it's not just him. But I've covered that aspect in No. 2. We simply don't have the coach who can tell Jerry "We're going to play smash mouth until it kills us" and then build a team around that concept both through offensive philosophy and through the defense. Bill Parcells saw something we didn't. And now we're seeing the results.
4. This team has gone 8-8 the past three years and lost in the final game of the season to knock itself out of the playoffs three times. Think about that. We have three chances to win and get in, and we fail three times. And we do so with the same coach? And why do we expect differently? One is an accident. Two is a pattern. Three is a trend.
5. This team's quarterback is 33 and coming off back surgery. What made anyone think that he was going to be better or get better without a game plan that reduces his load? Injured quarterbacks who are aging don't tend to get better.
6. This team's primary threats are aging (Witten) and mercurial (Dez). Sorry, guys, but Witten isn't going to get better. You don't get better when you get older, especially not in football. And then Dez. He is a great talent, but you can get him off his game too easily. We need him on the field at critical times not on the sidelines due to hydration issues. That's inexcuseable.
7. This defense really has no playmakers. Maybe I should say consistent playmakers. Sean Lee is injury prone and out for the season. Who else are we counting on? And yet this defensive unit has to go against some of the great offensive players in the league (LeSean McCoy, Marshawn Lynch, Colin Kapernick, Andrew Luck). We have no one a team fears and too many players teams can exploit. We may have gotten young, but we're still inexperienced in key places and undertalented in others.
8. This team still has an owner who believes he's the coach. And as long as this happens, and as long as Jerry keeps answering questions that a coach should and as long as he hires coaches who will let him act in a way that the coach should, then we'll keep getting the same results.
Yes, miracle can happen. I still believe in them. But outside a miraculous intervention, if any of these points continue, the Cowboys will continue to be mediocre. The patterns suggest as much.

 

[Stash]

Best I can tell there is a natural over-reaction here on CZ to the fact the defense was just "bad" as opposed to "terrible". There wasn't much for a fan to hang their hat on from the Cowboys Week 1 performance so the defensive performance is where people are placing their hope.

If they simply must have a place to put that hope, I guess.

They can say that the defense wasn't to blame for all of that 28 points, as if that were a plus.

But the fact is that the 49'ers were great on third down conversions and got them when they needed to. Again, and again, and again.

This same sad defense can never get a stop when they need one. The only times the 49'ers punted is when penalties presented an insurmountable third and long. Otherwise, they converted.

The numbers show that this was far from a good performance. Some just want to lower the bar to where they can convince themselves it looks that way.

 

[Dodger12]

He's not Aikman 2000 bad yet so there's that.

No, he's not. But to me, Aikman could have left on his own terms. He earned that from me. If Troy wanted to stay and QB the team left handed, then I would have supported that because the guy earned that right after helping us win 3 SB's.

In this case, Tony is not Troy and as much as I'm a Romo homer, his time is coming to an end. The sad part id that none of this happened overnight. When a QB's play starts to deteriorate, you try to plan ahead. That's what good franchises do. We haven't done so well and we have very little waiting in the wings unless you think Weeden is the savior. The franchise would have officially hit rock bottom the day they make me root for Brandon Weeden.

 

[dupree89]

I used to get so invested in these games. Now I watch it. Yell at the tv I mainly laugh at the ineptitude. I don't get mad anymore. I just expect this every week.

Nice! This is the first time ever that I had no feelings at all after a loss. Like I said, every other loss in my years as a fan, my days would be ruined for 2-3 days. People knew that they shouldnt even call me. In fact, last year on this forum, I started a post asking how long does it take for people to get over a loss. As I recall, some people were like "doesn't bother me at all, I have better things to do". I was shocked at those types of responses, but now that's exactly where I am.

 

[Stash]

I agree with your general sentiment. It's just one game -- it's too early to make snap judgements on the season based on this one performance.

I remember that same line last year after week one. Where Eli shredded the secondary for over 400 yards with a completely one-dimensional offense.

Good times...

 

[Kalyan]

Too early to say, however, the club feels like it has all the hallmarks of a roughly 8-8 season -- with some of that attributed to the general suckiness of the NFC East.

I don't think they will 8 games this season, 6 would be a streach. If we are 2-5 or 3-5, team will quit on JG when everyone knows that he is lame duck coach

 

[Stash]

This team will likely win 10 games. OP is not very informed just showed up for the 1st game looked at the score and put his tail between his legs

I wouldn't call anyone else "not very informed" if you're still talking about "10 wins".