Rushing to help the Defense

[Idgit]

We could have accepted the Ravens' offer of their 4th (104) to trade down two spots.

1 (6) Floyd
2 (34) Smith
3 (67) Collins
4 (101) Tapper
4 (104) Dixon/Booker/Perkins/Ervin
4 (135) Prescott

I have to believe they were thinking beyond 2016 and beyond Romo, as opposed to banking on a healthy Romo and improving the defense to win now.

They sort of have to be. I can't see taking the RB and Smith at 34 back to back if you think you've got a window that's really closing and a lame-duck coach. Either way, just somebody help out the defense, please, and stop betting parts of the farm on players with issues like Gregory and Smith.

 

[Kaiser]

Did you miss the 2016 draft?

So your point is that there was a rookie available in the 4th round who could have rushed for 1800 yards in his first NFL season. And not just one, but so many that you don't have to bother naming them.

That is completely insane.

 

[Nightman]

We could have accepted the Ravens' offer of their 4th (104) to trade down two spots.

1 (6) Floyd
2 (34) Smith
3 (67) Collins
4 (101) Tapper
4 (104) Dixon/Booker/Perkins/Ervin
4 (135) Prescott

I have to believe they were thinking beyond 2016 and beyond Romo, as opposed to banking on a healthy Romo and improving the defense to win now.

No thanks....I like EE so much better than any other RB this year

Floyd is no guaranteed All Pro either...happy with Tapper to back up DEs

 

[Kaiser]

Zeke will also add much to the passing attack, clearly overlooked by many! Zeke can run, block and catch at a high level already!

It comes down to scouting and the Cowboys scouting has been a lot better than the fans on this site lately. Zeke was the top rated player on their board. I get the value argument and agree with it in general but if you get the #1 player of the draft at #4, and its at a position of need, and its a premium skill position - you draft him and never look back.

The argument of going with "good enough" works some times but not others. We went with a good enough middle round pick in Wilcox at FS and it cost us. We went with a good enough middle round pick at Sam in WIlber and it was OK. But that isn't a premium position and its a guy that is only on the field for two downs a series.

Getting by at RB worked last year because the gamble on DMC paid off, but even then he likely wouldn't have stayed healthy if he started 16 games. You can also try to get by and end up with Tashard Choice as your starter.

 

[Kaiser]

No thanks....I like EE so much better than any other RB this year

Floyd is no guaranteed All Pro either...happy with Tapper to back up DEs

The top two picks at QB were complete overdrafts this year and almost every player at the top of the first had real questions about them. Zeke and Tunsil are probably the mostly likely bets to become All Pros and even with that Tunsil still had questions about him.

 

[LatinMind]

And in 2015 they schemed against the run because we had no passing game. They could double Witten and then watch Weeden check down or Cassell throw the ball wildly.

they also didnt have a rb who could handle a 3rd and short. Dallas couldve killed a few games with TOP if they simply wouldve been able to pick up them short yrds.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

It comes down to scouting and the Cowboys scouting has been a lot better than the fans on this site lately. Zeke was the top rated player on their board. I get the value argument and agree with it in general but if you get the #1 player of the draft at #4, and its at a position of need, and its a premium skill position - you draft him and never look back.

The argument of going with "good enough" works some times but not others. We went with a good enough middle round pick in Wilcox at FS and it cost us. We went with a good enough middle round pick at Sam in WIlber and it was OK. But that isn't a premium position and its a guy that is only on the field for two downs a series.

Getting by at RB worked last year because the gamble on DMC paid off, but even then he likely wouldn't have stayed healthy if he started 16 games. You can also try to get by and end up with Tashard Choice as your starter.

Or marion barber. Our last targeted first round RB was Felix Jones. The success rate of middle round RB is better than most other positions.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

So your point is that there was a rookie available in the 4th round who could have rushed for 1800 yards in his first NFL season. And not just one, but so many that you don't have to bother naming them.

That is completely insane.

People expecting Zeke to do that are just as insane. He's not the runner AP is.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

We could have accepted the Ravens' offer of their 4th (104) to trade down two spots.

1 (6) Floyd
2 (34) Smith
3 (67) Collins
4 (101) Tapper
4 (104) Dixon/Booker/Perkins/Ervin
4 (135) Prescott

I have to believe they were thinking beyond 2016 and beyond Romo, as opposed to banking on a healthy Romo and improving the defense to win now.

The question here is impact. Between Elliott and Floyd, who's more likely to make an instant contribution? Would Floyd fix everything that ails this defense? If that answer is no, and odds are that it is, the Cowboys made the right choice with Zeke. Not only is the learning curve from college to the NFL steeper at defensive end than it is at running back, Elliott is a superior talent. Dixon, Booker, Perkins, and Ervin are "good" running backs- and the Cowboys already have enough "good" ones. Every single GM in the league rated Elliott as an elite talent. Any negatives in his scouting report look like splitting hairs.

Zeke is the right choice, in my opinion.

 

[wileedog]

Would Floyd fix everything that ails this defense? .

Obviously not, but Zeke doesn't fix anything about the defense. And the defense is a much bigger problem for this team than the running game.

 

[Kaiser]

People expecting Zeke to do that are just as insane. He's not the runner AP is.

Nope. Thinking that a RB you rate as the top player in the draft will get 1845 yards as a rookie is a huge stretch, but it isn't insane. I've never said that and I don't remember anyone else posting it either.

But thinking you can grab any one of a group of 4th round picks and they will get 1845 yards as a rookie is certifiable, bat poop insane.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Nope. Thinking that a RB you rate as the top player in the draft will get 1845 yards as a rookie is a huge stretch, but it isn't insane. I've never said that and I don't remember anyone else posting it either.

But thinking you can grab any one of a group of 4th round picks and they will get 1845 yards as a rookie is certifiable, bat poop insane.

Counting on it absolutely is insane. Dickerson got 1805 for the best ever rookie campaign and if they run Zeke 390 times like Dickerson I'm going to be annoyed as heck.

 

[percyhoward]

Dixon, Booker, Perkins, and Ervin are "good" running backs- and the Cowboys already have enough "good" ones. Every single GM in the league rated Elliott as an elite talent.

They don't hand out Lombardi trophies for having the best RB, and you don't win a championship without a top 12 defense, or one that plays like it in the playoffs.

 

[percyhoward]

So your point is that there was a rookie available in the 4th round who could have rushed for 1800 yards in his first NFL season.

With this line I wouldn't doubt it, but the goal isn't to have a repeat of 2014 anyway. 1800 yards by our RB won't matter if we get to the divisional round and get bounced from the playoffs for the fourth straight time because we couldn't stop the pass.

2007 Eli 132.4
2009 Favre 134.4
2014 Rodgers 125.4

We didn't lose in 2007 or 2014 because of an inability to run the ball or control the clock. We won the rushing battle and the TOP battle in both those games. We lost because we couldn't stop the opposing QB.

 

[percyhoward]

The success rate of middle round RB is better than most other positions.

And that's for the average team, with the average OL, and average passing game.

 

[cowboyblue22]

that's why if this defense don't step up big time this will be a 8 and 8 team and out of the playoffs again.

 

[Nightman]

They don't hand out Lombardi trophies for having the best RB, and you don't win a championship without a top 12 defense, or one that plays like it in the playoffs.

how quickly you forget Emmitt

 

[percyhoward]

how quickly you forget Emmitt

How many rings did he get without a top 5 defense?

 

[Nightman]

How many rings did he get without a top 5 defense?

as many as they got without Emmitt

 

[percyhoward]

86 times in history of the NFL, a player has rushed for at least 1,500 yards.

No 1,500-yard rusher has ever won a championship without a Top 8 defense.