jday
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MYSELF
As ME pointed out, why 2018 will be a disappointment is supported by countless reasons…so many it’s difficult to fit them all in the space available, so I will try to whittle it down to the bare essential essence of why the Cowboys will continue to suck.
Everything the Cowboys want to do ends and begins with their offensive line. If the offensive line struggles, the whole team struggles in all three phases. Frederick may come back at some point this year (doubtful, if you listen to the players who have been diagnosed with GBS before), but his absence is not the only reason this offensive line could be in for another disappointing season.
The most important element of any line, be it defensive or offensive, is continuity. Continuity on a line is similar to how our brain gets better at actions with repetition. What happens when we practice an act is our brain gradually develops synaptic connections to other parts of the brain which affords us the ability to slowly but surely get better at whatever the action is. It’s like having a built-in efficiency expert that reasons out quicker and more effectual ways to complete a process with practice.
On a grander scale, the same type of thing happens within the confines of a defensive and offensive line. Players learn each other tendencies, strengths and weaknesses and with repetition learn to compensate for those differences as needed given a variety of different situations. To earn that continuity, a line must be exposed to every type of situations repeatedly, so that it may over time learn the best way to approach every play in every situation against every type of defense. As you can probably imagine, that takes time the Cowboys offensive line simply does not have. Just like last year’s iteration of this line, the Cowboys once again have two new additions that they hope will be able to pick up where the others left off. And the ugly truth is that simply is not a very realistic hope.
The above issue doesn’t need any further help. That single handedly trumps everything ME wrote. If the offensive line can’t dominate, Zeke will struggle. If Zeke struggles, Dak will likely make a valiant effort, but in the end, just like last year, he will fail to compensate for a shoddy offensive line. If Dak fails, it really doesn’t matter much what the defense does. But since we are on the topic, when Sean Lee gets hurt, that will clearly force-multiply and compound the Cowboys many issues likely leading to a silver-lining in the form of a high draft pick to open up the 2019 season.
But, just in case the above doesn’t convince you:
There was a time when the Cowboys would call for the field goal team to take the field, I would treat that aspect of the football game as a great time to go grab a snack, drink, smoke or restroom break, such was my confidence in Dan Bailey. Now? No more Mr. Automatic Dan Bailey. Good thing I’m quitting smoking…probably…we will see how the season goes.
Adding to the mystery, he is being replaced by a kicker who has never kicked a field goal in a regular season game. It is as if the Cowboys have forgotten the Buehler years. You remember…the guy that kicked field goals like Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Bull Durham reference) threw fast balls? It is hard to say at this point who Bret Maher will be more like but where a kicker earns his paycheck is in those end of the game for the win field goal situations (Dan Bailey has 14 of those to his credit)…and as of right now, Maher has absolutely zero of those to his credit. Here’s hoping he will be fine, but having lived through the search for the next great kicker and Bailey being considered the 2nd most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, I think it is safe to assume Maher is not on the same planet as his predecessor.
The last reason (and for some, what will be the most compelling) is a quick perusal of the NFC landscape. Never mind the in-house issues the Cowboys suffer from, a quick look around the league suggest to me that be merit of being a member of the NFC, they haven’t a Nike shoe worn at a KKK rally’s chance at making the playoffs.
In our own division the Super Bowl champ Eagles and a Giants team that has been favorably supplemented over the offseason by improving their offensive line and adding Saquon Barkley will certainly cause the Cowboys problems. In addition, they also face the NFCS in the regular season this year, who feature 3 teams with playoff aspirations in the Saints, Falcons and Panthers. And if the Cowboys do somehow escape the regular season unscathed and secure a spot in the final 6 (which, again, is extremely doubtful), they will then face the likes of the Rams, Vikings, Packers, as well as, second-helpings against teams they have already faced.
Admittedly, anything can happen; there is nothing done under the sun that hasn’t been done before, as the saying goes. But without having watched a single second of regular football, all we can do is make educated guesses about what is on paper….and what is on paper for the Cowboys, as far as MYSELF is concerned, is a big heaping helping of doubt.
I
As the designated voice of reason in my otherwise schizophrenic concept, I feel the need to open with the most important consideration that all football fans should embrace before delving into the regular season: It ain’t that serious. Football is just a game. Outside of being a member of the 12th man at home games and the assistance you provide to pay those player salaries through the purchase of team paraphernalia, what our team accomplishes is not a reflection of you. It is not something we should pride ourselves in because we really have done nothing other than develop a weird connection to laundry that happens to meet a certain color scheme. When a guy wearing that color scheme carries a ball across a line, we lose our freaking minds….or at least, I’m guessing from an alien’s perspective that’s exactly what it looks like.
Football is entertainment and that is all it is…and for us, that’s all it will ever be.
With that nasty business behind us, let’s take an objective and unbiased view of the Cowboys:
Prior to Travis Frederick being diagnosed with GBS, I would have said what I have said for a few years now: The destination of the Cowboys season will ultimately be determined and hinges on Jaylon Smith being as advertised coming out of college and Sean Lee simply staying healthy. If that happens, I really like the Cowboys chances down the stretch.
The problem with that assessment now is it assumed a few things:
1. Zeke will still be a top 5 running back in the league.
2. Dak will figure out a way to move the ball even when the opposition keys on the run (e.g. back those safeties up with the occasional (if not frequent) successfully thrown 15+ yard pass).
3. The offensive line continues to dominate the trenches.
The odd thing about that assumption is if #3 proves to be false, by likely default so will #1 and #2.
With that in mind, it would seem that while the defense still hinges on Jaylon and Lee, the offense now hinges on Looney and Williams. What the organization is asking of them may prove to be impossible regardless of their abilities as players. They have to step into the center of that otherwise dominant line and play as though they have been there for years. To say the least, it’s a tall order, especially for the rookie who is converting from playing at LT in college to LG in the pros.
Connor needs to add both strength and weight to assist in his ability to sit on the bullrush, which is something he reportedly struggled against throughout training camp and preseason….and he will most likely have to wait to add both until after the season. That type of body transformation is not something you attempt whilst also playing on Sunday. Not doable. So, we have to hope through occasional help and consistently perfect technique, Connor is able to survive 2018.
Believe it or not, I feel better about Looney than I do Williams, all things considered. In a few years (if not less), Connor should pass Looney up, but for now, Looney has been here a couple of years, sat next to Frederick in the meeting rooms and knows all the checks on the line; to say nothing of the fact that he at least physically looks the part. Provided he can consistently provide a clean snap to Dak, little to no drop-off will be immediately evident. Where I suspect Frederick will actually be missed is in his ability to consistently reach the second level to provide a deeper running lane, which basically means the difference between a 5 to 10 yard run and a run to paydirt. Glass half-full, provided that 5 to 10 yard run eventually leads to a score, that deficiency on Looney’s part, could be a good thing in the long run considering the oppositions defense will be on the field that much longer.
The defense looked dominant in preseason, but that very well could be fool’s gold particularly on that side of the ball. In preseason, offenses as a general rule aren’t game-planning and certainly are not pulling out tricks they hope to use again in the regular season, so the fact that no one scored on the Cowboys starters in the scheme of things means very little. That said, I do believe the Cowboys by merit of added experience for the second year players (Chido, Taco, Louis) and the emergence of a few key players on the line (Gregory, Armstrong, Woods), will be better than last year. With a healthy Sean Lee, that is a defense capable of holding opposing offenses to 17 points or less, which is playoff caliber, if they manage it.
In closing, I would like to offer up some food for thought that has absolutely nothing to do with anything I’ve said thus far and everything to do with the noise presently surrounding the game I love:
I have no problems with anyone in this world standing (or kneeling) for what they believe in. I do, however, take issue with the perpetual misdiagnosis of the root cause:
It takes a whole lot of hate to pull a trigger, but very little fear to drop a nuke. Treating fear with the cure for hate, is like treating a cold with the cure for constipation.
Thoughts?
As ME pointed out, why 2018 will be a disappointment is supported by countless reasons…so many it’s difficult to fit them all in the space available, so I will try to whittle it down to the bare essential essence of why the Cowboys will continue to suck.
Everything the Cowboys want to do ends and begins with their offensive line. If the offensive line struggles, the whole team struggles in all three phases. Frederick may come back at some point this year (doubtful, if you listen to the players who have been diagnosed with GBS before), but his absence is not the only reason this offensive line could be in for another disappointing season.
The most important element of any line, be it defensive or offensive, is continuity. Continuity on a line is similar to how our brain gets better at actions with repetition. What happens when we practice an act is our brain gradually develops synaptic connections to other parts of the brain which affords us the ability to slowly but surely get better at whatever the action is. It’s like having a built-in efficiency expert that reasons out quicker and more effectual ways to complete a process with practice.
On a grander scale, the same type of thing happens within the confines of a defensive and offensive line. Players learn each other tendencies, strengths and weaknesses and with repetition learn to compensate for those differences as needed given a variety of different situations. To earn that continuity, a line must be exposed to every type of situations repeatedly, so that it may over time learn the best way to approach every play in every situation against every type of defense. As you can probably imagine, that takes time the Cowboys offensive line simply does not have. Just like last year’s iteration of this line, the Cowboys once again have two new additions that they hope will be able to pick up where the others left off. And the ugly truth is that simply is not a very realistic hope.
The above issue doesn’t need any further help. That single handedly trumps everything ME wrote. If the offensive line can’t dominate, Zeke will struggle. If Zeke struggles, Dak will likely make a valiant effort, but in the end, just like last year, he will fail to compensate for a shoddy offensive line. If Dak fails, it really doesn’t matter much what the defense does. But since we are on the topic, when Sean Lee gets hurt, that will clearly force-multiply and compound the Cowboys many issues likely leading to a silver-lining in the form of a high draft pick to open up the 2019 season.
But, just in case the above doesn’t convince you:
There was a time when the Cowboys would call for the field goal team to take the field, I would treat that aspect of the football game as a great time to go grab a snack, drink, smoke or restroom break, such was my confidence in Dan Bailey. Now? No more Mr. Automatic Dan Bailey. Good thing I’m quitting smoking…probably…we will see how the season goes.
Adding to the mystery, he is being replaced by a kicker who has never kicked a field goal in a regular season game. It is as if the Cowboys have forgotten the Buehler years. You remember…the guy that kicked field goals like Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh (Bull Durham reference) threw fast balls? It is hard to say at this point who Bret Maher will be more like but where a kicker earns his paycheck is in those end of the game for the win field goal situations (Dan Bailey has 14 of those to his credit)…and as of right now, Maher has absolutely zero of those to his credit. Here’s hoping he will be fine, but having lived through the search for the next great kicker and Bailey being considered the 2nd most accurate kicker in the history of the NFL, I think it is safe to assume Maher is not on the same planet as his predecessor.
The last reason (and for some, what will be the most compelling) is a quick perusal of the NFC landscape. Never mind the in-house issues the Cowboys suffer from, a quick look around the league suggest to me that be merit of being a member of the NFC, they haven’t a Nike shoe worn at a KKK rally’s chance at making the playoffs.
In our own division the Super Bowl champ Eagles and a Giants team that has been favorably supplemented over the offseason by improving their offensive line and adding Saquon Barkley will certainly cause the Cowboys problems. In addition, they also face the NFCS in the regular season this year, who feature 3 teams with playoff aspirations in the Saints, Falcons and Panthers. And if the Cowboys do somehow escape the regular season unscathed and secure a spot in the final 6 (which, again, is extremely doubtful), they will then face the likes of the Rams, Vikings, Packers, as well as, second-helpings against teams they have already faced.
Admittedly, anything can happen; there is nothing done under the sun that hasn’t been done before, as the saying goes. But without having watched a single second of regular football, all we can do is make educated guesses about what is on paper….and what is on paper for the Cowboys, as far as MYSELF is concerned, is a big heaping helping of doubt.
I
As the designated voice of reason in my otherwise schizophrenic concept, I feel the need to open with the most important consideration that all football fans should embrace before delving into the regular season: It ain’t that serious. Football is just a game. Outside of being a member of the 12th man at home games and the assistance you provide to pay those player salaries through the purchase of team paraphernalia, what our team accomplishes is not a reflection of you. It is not something we should pride ourselves in because we really have done nothing other than develop a weird connection to laundry that happens to meet a certain color scheme. When a guy wearing that color scheme carries a ball across a line, we lose our freaking minds….or at least, I’m guessing from an alien’s perspective that’s exactly what it looks like.
Football is entertainment and that is all it is…and for us, that’s all it will ever be.
With that nasty business behind us, let’s take an objective and unbiased view of the Cowboys:
Prior to Travis Frederick being diagnosed with GBS, I would have said what I have said for a few years now: The destination of the Cowboys season will ultimately be determined and hinges on Jaylon Smith being as advertised coming out of college and Sean Lee simply staying healthy. If that happens, I really like the Cowboys chances down the stretch.
The problem with that assessment now is it assumed a few things:
1. Zeke will still be a top 5 running back in the league.
2. Dak will figure out a way to move the ball even when the opposition keys on the run (e.g. back those safeties up with the occasional (if not frequent) successfully thrown 15+ yard pass).
3. The offensive line continues to dominate the trenches.
The odd thing about that assumption is if #3 proves to be false, by likely default so will #1 and #2.
With that in mind, it would seem that while the defense still hinges on Jaylon and Lee, the offense now hinges on Looney and Williams. What the organization is asking of them may prove to be impossible regardless of their abilities as players. They have to step into the center of that otherwise dominant line and play as though they have been there for years. To say the least, it’s a tall order, especially for the rookie who is converting from playing at LT in college to LG in the pros.
Connor needs to add both strength and weight to assist in his ability to sit on the bullrush, which is something he reportedly struggled against throughout training camp and preseason….and he will most likely have to wait to add both until after the season. That type of body transformation is not something you attempt whilst also playing on Sunday. Not doable. So, we have to hope through occasional help and consistently perfect technique, Connor is able to survive 2018.
Believe it or not, I feel better about Looney than I do Williams, all things considered. In a few years (if not less), Connor should pass Looney up, but for now, Looney has been here a couple of years, sat next to Frederick in the meeting rooms and knows all the checks on the line; to say nothing of the fact that he at least physically looks the part. Provided he can consistently provide a clean snap to Dak, little to no drop-off will be immediately evident. Where I suspect Frederick will actually be missed is in his ability to consistently reach the second level to provide a deeper running lane, which basically means the difference between a 5 to 10 yard run and a run to paydirt. Glass half-full, provided that 5 to 10 yard run eventually leads to a score, that deficiency on Looney’s part, could be a good thing in the long run considering the oppositions defense will be on the field that much longer.
The defense looked dominant in preseason, but that very well could be fool’s gold particularly on that side of the ball. In preseason, offenses as a general rule aren’t game-planning and certainly are not pulling out tricks they hope to use again in the regular season, so the fact that no one scored on the Cowboys starters in the scheme of things means very little. That said, I do believe the Cowboys by merit of added experience for the second year players (Chido, Taco, Louis) and the emergence of a few key players on the line (Gregory, Armstrong, Woods), will be better than last year. With a healthy Sean Lee, that is a defense capable of holding opposing offenses to 17 points or less, which is playoff caliber, if they manage it.
In closing, I would like to offer up some food for thought that has absolutely nothing to do with anything I’ve said thus far and everything to do with the noise presently surrounding the game I love:
I have no problems with anyone in this world standing (or kneeling) for what they believe in. I do, however, take issue with the perpetual misdiagnosis of the root cause:
It takes a whole lot of hate to pull a trigger, but very little fear to drop a nuke. Treating fear with the cure for hate, is like treating a cold with the cure for constipation.
Thoughts?
