Schein: Dallas Cowboys enter 2013 season mired at bottom of NFC heap

[Muhast]

Id say were 11th in the nfc but he makes it look like were the worst team in the nfl.

I think we are more in the 6-9 range personally. We had a pile of starters get injured and still were one game away from winning the division. I don't know why that is so hard for fans to grasp. A strong draft and a bit more luck on the injury front and we are a relatively strong team. Maybe not SB quality, but definitely strong enough to make a run at the division. The Eagles have a new coach, brand new system on offense and defense, basically starting from scratch in the secondary. The Giants lost a lot of good players in FA and replaced a few of those with lesser parts. The Commanders have a QB coming back from his 2nd ACL injury in 4 years, lost their Fred Davis in FA and haven't made a move bc they are in the same boat as up salary cap wise. There is no reason at all to believe that any of the other teams will be significantly better than they were last year.

All 4 of the teams are looking for a nice draft. If we do well, I see absolutely no reason why we can't compete.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

We'll either be 8-8 or 7-9 this season. No big mystery why: salary cap will make us keep the mediocre team together.

A strong draft you say?
It's the exception, not the rule that a draft pick will be a starter the first year. We have a lot of holes. Little FA activity. etc.

It's looking uglier than the Baylor women's basketball team.

 

[Bowdown27]

I can't believe this thread has made it this far. This guy schein is an absolute moron. I was in manhattan for the draft last year and saw him walking and fall flat on his face. Made my day. Plus getting Claiborne lol

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

Even I don't think we're among the worst in the NFC.

But certainly not among the best.

I think we are among the bottom of the mediocre teams this season. I half already put this season in the bin of disappointment.

I am looking toward 2014 for our climb to the playoffs.

 

[weaver21]

We'll either be 8-8 or 7-9 this season. No big mystery why: salary cap will make us keep the mediocre team together.

A strong draft you say?
It's the exception, not the rule that a draft pick will be a starter the first year. We have a lot of holes. Little FA activity. etc.

It's looking uglier than the Baylor women's basketball team.

Extending Romo and possibly Spencer would give us near $7-10 million in cap space and that's plenty enough to add depth to the OL, DL and S. Add in the draft where you can find two/three starters and more depth and I say we could be in pretty good position to contend next season.

But no, you're one of those "realists", right? Don't add in the fact that we went 8-8 season with one of the worst offensive lines in the NFL and half of our defensive starters out with injuries, right? Barring any major injuries, this team will contend next season.

 

[Muhast]

But certainly not among the best.

I think we are among the bottom of the mediocre teams this season. I half already put this season in the bin of disappointment.

I am looking toward 2014 for our climb to the playoffs.

The NFL is all about parity. As long as your a mediocre team you still have a relatively decent shot at winning your division or getting a wildcard spot. A team you deem as 8-8 caliber is a few lucky breaks away from winning 10 games or a few bad breaks away from winning 6 games. The recent SB champs have been great pictures of that. The Ravens ended the season losing 5 of their last 6 games and went on the win the SB. The Packers were 10-6 when they won. Giants won at 9-7 and 10-6. You don't have to be a dominant team to win the SB, just need to be good enough to get a chance and then get hot at the right time. Not saying we can/will do that, but the difference between a "mediocre" team and a "SB team" isn't nearly as far as we as fans view it.

 

[anj113]

By Adam Schein
Columnist, NFL.com

There's good news and bad news for the Dallas Cowboys.

The good news is, they won't have to hear the familiar refrain this season that they're once again underachieving and failing to live up to their incredible talent.

The bad news is, that's because the Cowboys are the flat-out worst team in the NFC East and one of the four worst teams in the conference. It's not even up for debate.

Owner Jerry Jones has gone about managing his coaching staff the wrong way. Dallas has yet to make a single offseason addition that will either shore up a major hole or strengthen the roster. It's a recipe for disaster.

What's to like about the Cowboys? Where are they strong?

Read the rest: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap10...enter-2013-season-mired-at-bottom-of-nfc-heap

I dont know why you guys get outraged by predictions like this. What on earth has the team done to make this prediction so far fetched? If RGIII is healthy they are def in the bottom of the East.

 

[anj113]

I dont see us going 4-12, but this team ONCE again has 8-8 written all over it

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

I wouldn't be surprised with 8-8 either. I really wouldn't be surprised with 10-6. I would be surprised by 6-10. In the grand scheme of things, two games going either way makes you go from being a pretty decent team to being a pretty bad team.

I think without all the injuries a year ago we could have been 10-6 fairly easily. Lost a lot of games by one score.

What I think about last year's team doesn't mean squat. Neither does what I think going forward, nor does Schein's.

The original poster really gave no reason as to why he finds his last...and nobody that has agreed with him has really given a reason either. Our cap status doesn't affect how the guys we have will play on the field. I'd at least prefer to make a final judgement at least until the draft is over if not a bit longer.

So let's revisit it after the draft, when we can actually see what the majority of the roster looks like.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

:laugh2: @ the Commanders

 

[TwoDeep3]

Your tone where you talk down to everyone may have been effective as the Grand Poobah of the Ranch, but as an everyday typical poster, it really loses a great deal of it's effect.

I have no idea what another site has to do with this site. You keep bringing that up as if that matters.

Neither does my opinion matter. It is just my opinion.

If you feel I am talking down to you or others, then I apologize.

But you are wrong. I state my case and when people like you want to push back because it doesn't align with your hope and change attitude, I will roll however you wish.

My suggestion is this. If you want to talk about other sites, then as a guest here, I feel it is incumbent upon me to tell you to take it off line.

As far as my opinion goes, if it offends you, then don't read it. Put me on ignore. Or continue tilting at windmills.

 

[RastaRocket]

At least it's better than being predicted to win the super bowl every season.

Now the players are motivated to play up to something, rather than trying to live up to expectations.

 

[Blackspider214]

Flat out the worst? Huh? I don't recall anyone in the East being any good last season and that includes the team who won it. No one wanted to win that division. Each team did their best to give it away to the other 3 teams.

I can see how he thinks the Skins may be better but the Eagles and Giants? How is it no question we are worse? Especially the Eagles. They have been a joke the last 2 seasons. Unless he is mesmerized by the Chip Kelly signing.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Show me, Sonny. Show me something besides hope.

I am looking and I don't see this quantum leap for the 2013 Cowboys. So instead of insulting me for daring to have an opinion, or get territorial because you want one opinion on this board.

Man up and show me.

Who said anything about a Quantum Leap? We are making fun of an article stating we are among the worst teams in the NFC where there is no solid reasoning for believing that or believing that our rivals have made some great improvement over the past two months.

Instead of deflecting and daring others to show why we aren't among the worst teams, why don't you explain why we went from middle of the pack to the bottom when we haven't really lost a player of note from the team and are likely at some point to have some additions that could improve our chances?

Tell us why the Eagles are going to be great despite having the same QB, the same crappy OL and with about half of their all star defense gone and in many cases replaced with JAGs.

Tell us why the Skins are apparently on par with the Niners, Packers, Falcons and Seahawks even though they have lost a number of players, haven't really signed anyone of note to improve the team and have a QB coming off a major knee injury.

Tell us why the Giants are destined for greatness when they are one of the more schizophrenic teams in the league...with great highs and deep lows. How come no one is discussing the huge drop off in play of JPP? Compare his stats to those of Spencer from a year ago and tell me why JPP is considered a better player? He's had one great year sandwiched by two mediocre to average years.

 

[Idgit]

There's no quantum leap that needs to be defended. It'd take a quantum slip for us to backtrack behind, not only the last place Eagles who haven't made up their mind at QB and who have lost a very good HC and replaced him with an unknown quantity, not only the Commanders, who lost their very best player by a wide, wide, margin in the last game of their season and who we have no idea how well or how fast he might rehabilitate....but also every other bottom team in the NFC who finished behind us and who has as many reasons worrying their fans as we have worrying ours.

It doesn't really matter what TwoDeep thinks, though. It's just his opinion, and he's entitled to it. If he wants to support the nonsense in the Schein article, he's welcome to. It doesn't make it any less nonsense.

Even Talking Cowboys was taking shots at the 'journalism' in the piece this afternoon. Along with taking well-deserved veiled jabs at Watkins for getting yet another story badly wrong on the Bernadeau surgery. There's a point, even when covering the Cowboys, where accuracy actually does, apparently matter to most. To others, if it's a reason to complain about something, accuracy isn't as important as pretending to be a light-bearer to the rest of us. As they say, the truth hurts.

 

[TwoDeep3]

There's no quantum leap that needs to be defended. It'd take a quantum slip for us to backtrack behind, not only the last place Eagles who haven't made up their mind at QB and who have lost a very good HC and replaced him with an unknown quantity, not only the Commanders, who lost their very best player by a wide, wide, margin in the last game of their season and who we have no idea how well or how fast he might rehabilitate....but also every other bottom team in the NFC who finished behind us and who has as many reasons worrying their fans as we have worrying ours.

It doesn't really matter what TwoDeep thinks, though. It's just his opinion, and he's entitled to it. If he wants to support the nonsense in the Schein article, he's welcome to. It doesn't make it any less nonsense.

Even Talking Cowboys was taking shots at the 'journalism' in the piece this afternoon. Along with taking well-deserved veiled jabs at Watkins for getting yet another story badly wrong on the Bernadeau surgery. There's a point, even when covering the Cowboys, where accuracy actually does, apparently matter to most. To others, if it's a reason to complain about something, accuracy isn't as important as pretending to be a light-bearer to the rest of us. As they say, the truth hurts.

Let me be clear. I don't give a rat's rump what the article says.

I think this team will end up trailing all other teams in the East this season unless something substantial is done between now and the opening kick-off of game one.

That is up to and includes fixing the offensive line. Because that is where this team will fail.

Fix that and my opinion will change.

But that requires getting players that can play. And any idea the draft will be the avenue for that needs to come back to planet earth. Because this team drafts OL as well as OJ takes to marriage counseling.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

If you want to be taken seriously, whether you are the author of an article from a national media source, or an anonymous fan poster on a message board, there should be some supporting material for a given claim. I think that is what most of the people that are denigrating this article are saying.

It's not so much that he is downgrading Dallas. No problem with that opinion. If he feels Dallas should be 4th in the Division, I can accept that if he gives us any reason why that should occur. His brash statement that it is undeniable basically sets himself up for the reaction that follows. The fact that after making the statement he really doesn't give any reasons why it will happen means one of two things: he either is just trying to stir the pot by calling out one of the biggest fan bases in the sports world or he is just lazy and is half assing his job.

Not only does he neglect to explain why he thinks Dallas is the bottom of the barrel, he doesn't explain why any of the other contenders are any better than they were at the end of the season.

Despite his opinion, the fact remains that of the four teams, Dallas was by far affected the most by injuries to significant players and it really isn't close. And since the season ended, probably the biggest improvement that any of these teams has made is the fact that they will get players back to health for the start of next year. That alone gives the Dallas Cowboys organization hopes for an improved year. Garrett now feels that this is his team, he has things built his way. He has high expectations. You know Jones has high expectations every year and this one is no different.

Other than the return to health, the two biggest factors right now that would affect a team's quality from this year until last would be the loss of players and the acquisition of players. Is there really anyone that Dallas has lost this offseason that anyone thinks is a big loss? I'd say the best player we have lost is Sensabaugh and that was a voluntary cut. Now we haven't really gained anyone outside of Brian Price and the resigning of Ernie Sims. We have retained our biggest free agent in Spencer. As for the other teams, I have spelled out most of their gains and losses in other posts in this thread. Of the four teams in the NFC East, the Cowboys have probably lost the fewest quality players. The Eagles and Commanders have both lost better players than the Cowboys. Heck, one of the Giant's signings that is being lauded is that of Dan Conner, who barely made it out of camp with a job last year and played at best at an average level.

Finally, the last chance for improvement would be an improvement within the coaching staff but that is hard to ascertain until we see the product on the field. The Eagles lost one of the most successful coaches in the league over the past 10-15 years and have replaced him with a guy that runs a gimmick offense and has never coached in the NFL. Maybe he will be the next Jimmy Johnson and shake things up....but even Johnson took a couple years to get things up to snuff. The Commanders are pretty much status quo along with the Giants in this aspect to the best of my knowledge. The Cowboys have a change in defensive scheme and coordinator with Monte Kiffin, a guy who was thought to be one of the best in the game prior to his college stint. What's the norm and what is the exception? The guy that put together strong defenses in the pros year after year, or the guy that had mediocre defenses in college? The answer to that question is going to go a long way in determining whether the Cowboys are going up from 8-8 or down.

With months to go before training camp, there is still time to add free agents and there are still a lot of players available that could help this team. The draft, which everyone says is the best way to build your roster, is yet to come. The indications for this draft are that it is strong in many of the areas where Dallas needs improvement, so it isn't out of the question that the draft could provide immediate help at 2-3 spots.

The point is anyone can throw out an inflammatory statement and then give no factual argument for the statement. You should expect more from the "media" and really from anyone. Don't let them get away with being lazy, which is exactly what we are letting Schein do with this piece of garbage.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

Let me be clear. I don't give a rat's rump what the article says.

I think this team will end up trailing all other teams in the East this season unless something substantial is done between now and the opening kick-off of game one.

That is up to and includes fixing the offensive line. Because that is where this team will fail.

Fix that and my opinion will change.

But that requires getting players that can play. And any idea the draft will be the avenue for that needs to come back to planet earth. Because this team drafts OL as well as OJ takes to marriage counseling.

So you are basically putting the team's success or failure on the OL. Fair enough. From our financial condition, what would be your plan for fixing the OL for this year that would suddenly make you change your mind? You've got free agency. You've got the draft. You have 3-4 players that you have to make decisions on going forward in Romo, Spencer and Free.

 

[CATCH17]

Let me be clear. I don't give a rat's rump what the article says.

I think this team will end up trailing all other teams in the East this season unless something substantial is done between now and the opening kick-off of game one.

That is up to and includes fixing the offensive line. Because that is where this team will fail.

Fix that and my opinion will change.

But that requires getting players that can play. And any idea the draft will be the avenue for that needs to come back to planet earth. Because this team drafts OL as well as OJ takes to marriage counseling.

I don't see that happening.

I think we'll linger between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, make a late season push, and tank down the stretch like we always do.

We'll ignore the key problems again this offseason. Probably go Safety and Defensive end or Linebacker with our 1st & 2nd round pick.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

I don't see that happening.

I think we'll linger between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, make a late season push, and tank down the stretch like we always do.

We'll ignore the key problems again this offseason. Probably go Safety and Defensive end or Linebacker with our 1st & 2nd round pick.

Let me be clear. I don't give a rat's rump what the article says.

I think this team will end up trailing all other teams in the East this season unless something substantial is done between now and the opening kick-off of game one.

That is up to and includes fixing the offensive line. Because that is where this team will fail.

Fix that and my opinion will change.

But that requires getting players that can play. And any idea the draft will be the avenue for that needs to come back to planet earth. Because this team drafts OL as well as OJ takes to marriage counseling.

Catch, don't you think Safety is a big problem area at the moment? It needs some attention one way or the other. I wouldn't mind a veteran like Barber or even Woodson that could help the young players learn the D, but I also wouldn't mind using a high pick to get a quality player there....probably not a first but maybe a second or third.

Signing a vet to compete on the OL and drafting at least one that could start would solidify the OL.