News: SDFW: Why the Dallas Cowboys don't need insurance for Tyler Biadasz at Center

[LACowboysFan1]

I don’t know that that’s a bad thing
McGovern played multiple positions in college and was a good talent. Having flex does give you option but you shouldn’t pass on a guy who hasn’t shown flex just because of that
It paid off well that Martin had flex but I think it’s more common on the oline
The one spot we need no flex player is 1T
We need a big, strong mean sob to plug that middle and I think that’s a spot that flex may have hurt us in the past or the desire for flex

Flex players are valuable, for sure. But only a few. It's a numbers thing, with a limited number of players available having somebody who can play 2 positions is useful.

But your basic positions, like center, guard, etc. need bona fide centers, guards, etc. Filling in with flex guys after the first backup is fine, but usually a player is a flex player because they're not that great, like T. Crawford, he can play DT or DE, but is small for DT and slow for DE, he's a stop gap measure, not a full time guy at either spot.

 

[Future]

This is why we don’t need to take a 1st round OT. Philbin is pretty good at his job.

Why do you keep saying this about Philbin?

The offensive line was terrible .

 

[Creeper]

The most shocking point made in this article is they believe that Connor Williams will win the battle for LG against Connor McGovern. Someone needs to be an upgrade over Williams.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Why do you keep saying this about Philbin?

The offensive line was terrible .

Did you see how the Chiefs o-line did in the SB? And they were "only" missing the two starting tackles.

Dallas was missing both starting tackles, starting center and the starting right guard, as well as swing players.

Of course the o-line was terrible (though I'd not go that far, but they weren't that good, either). Players are starters for a reason - they're better than the backups...

 

[fivetwos]

I wouldn't mind bringing back Looney, just in case. Good guy. Cheap. Decent at G and C, but can't start him over Biadasz, simply because he is a veteran.

Thats exactly what happened last year.

Biadasz needed those reps when he was ready to play but they sat him.

Anae and Robinson also.

Still bothers me that a 6-10 team couldn't find snaps for mid round picks when the draft is basically all you do to improve.

 

[Future]

Did you see how the Chiefs o-line did in the SB? And they were "only" missing the two starting tackles.

Dallas was missing both starting tackles, starting center and the starting right guard, as well as swing players.

Of course the o-line was terrible (though I'd not go that far, but they weren't that good, either). Players are starters for a reason - they're better than the backups...

Well yea. When the OL gets hurt, the OL is going to be terrible.

My point is that Philbin didn't make them a strong unit despite the injuries.

 

[fivetwos]

The most shocking point made in this article is they believe that Connor Williams will win the battle for LG against Connor McGovern. Someone needs to be an upgrade over Williams.

Seems like there's certain guys that can play at below average level yet have job security chiseled in stone.

Maybe that was a Garrett thing. Not sure.

Williams really ought to be dealt before he leaves anyway after this season. Someone im sure would part with a 4th for a starting guard.

Jerry won't do that though. Need all the depth possible for this year's SB run. Right Jerry?

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Well yea. When the OL gets hurt, the OL is going to be terrible.

My point is that Philbin didn't make them a strong unit despite the injuries.

Well while that may be possible, you seldom have that many injuries on the line, so he's not having to deal with that situation very much.

I want him to be able to take good to very good players and make them great, that'll win you rings. Taking a poor line and making them okay gets you nothing but pats on the back....

 

[Future]

Well while that may be possible, you seldom have that many injuries on the line, so he's not having to deal with that situation very much.

I want him to be able to take good to very good players and make them great, that'll win you rings. Taking a poor line and making them okay gets you nothing but pats on the back....

Ok fine.

Philbin did not take a poor line and make them ok. He took a poor line and they were poor.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Ok fine.

Philbin did not take a poor line and make them ok. He took a poor line and they were poor.

Could anybody have taken the Dallas players and made them great, or even very good?

That's the thing, it's easy to say "Philbin didn't do it", but barring climbing in a time machine and having a different coach, there's no way to tell...

 

[JoeKing]

I think the point was McGovern could be second string
If that’s the plan I’d play him at center in every pre season game
The flaw in that plan is McGovern is our backup at guard too

So, Tyler Biadasz does have a backup. Which we all already knew.

 

[Future]

Could anybody have taken the Dallas players and made them great, or even very good?

That's the thing, it's easy to say "Philbin didn't do it", but barring climbing in a time machine and having a different coach, there's no way to tell...

No, and that's the entire point.

 

[DuncanIso]

Ok fine.

Philbin did not take a poor line and make them ok. He took a poor line and they were poor.

agree.

Im not a Philbin fan.

He was hired because he is one of Mike's big buddies from Green Bay.

I was hoping he would have been fired. but the injuries saved his job.

 

[Aven8]

Why do you keep saying this about Philbin?

The offensive line was terrible .

They lost every player except the worst one of the starting group in Williams. They held it together and didn’t play awful considering who they were. So many changes all year and starts for guys that had never played in the NFL before. How you’re not impressed is beyond me.

Colombo and JG would have forfeit the season had this happened.

 

[Future]

They lost every player except the worst one of the starting group in Williams. They held it together and didn’t play awful considering who they were. So many changes all year and starts for guys that had never played in the NFL before. How you’re not impressed is beyond me.

Colombo and JG would have forfeit the season had this happened.

But they were still awful, because of who they were. I don't really understand why you're giving the coach credit for taking an awful unit and still being awful lol.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Why the Dallas Cowboys don't need insurance for Tyler Biadasz at Center

The Dallas Cowboys traditionally live and die by their offensive line play. That's why last season death seemed inevitable when both starting offensive tac...

Read Full Story

Meh. McGovern should have been given a chance to compete *last* year at C, and this year too. Last year he was a clear notch above Biadasz. Maybe he's not a good C, but he was more stout on the oline.

If nothing else, the cross-training would have given us better depth last year and into the future.

Same with Connor Williams cross-training at T. Instead, we move our All Pro G out, where he strains his calf, probably because he had to move in ways at T that he didn't at G and his body wasn't ready, not being cross trained at it either.

Everyone wants to give Philbin credit for patching the line together, but all his preseason moves were just wrong and hurt us all season.

 

[buybuydandavis]

I wouldn't mind bringing back Looney, just in case. Good guy. Cheap. Decent at G and C, but can't start him over Biadasz, simply because he is a veteran.

We probably sign Looney. We've got the inside track on his bidding, with him getting and still eligible for the ~1mil veteran cap waiver. Though maybe they want to use that on Lee?

Looney seemed to run out of gas toward the end of the season, but started off stronger than I expected, and that was with the rest of the oline starting off very slow. He's about the same age as Tyron and Martin. He's not a geezer.

Looney's useful. We have good but shallow oline depth, with only McGovern if we don't have Looney. We need another decent body, and Joe provides that insurance. If we bring him to the season, I can see us even cutting him, but bringing him back if needed. In any case, he's probably not gameday active unless someone is out for injury.

 

[conner01]

So, Tyler Biadasz does have a backup. Which we all already knew.

We have options

 

[JoeKing]

We have options

Having options... always a good thing!

 

[buybuydandavis]

But they were still awful, because of who they were. I don't really understand why you're giving the coach credit for taking an awful unit and still being awful lol.

The oline coaching should get credit/blame according to their decisions. Many poor decisions.

1. Big Picture: under the rubric of "get your best 5 on the field", we had our best depth by far at G, yet we used that depth poorly.
2. Didn't cross-train McGovern at C: McGovern just proved to be a better player than Biadasz this year. He had college experience at C. He may simply be a better C even long term, but we didn't take the opportunity to find out, for the short or long term. Didn't give ourselves the option.
3. Didn't cross-train Williams at T: he was simply better than Knight and Steele in college, and it's not even close. Failure to cross-train Williams removed him as an option at T, where we desperately needed better options.
4. Didn't cross train Martin at T, then we throw the old All Pro midseason into a position he hadn't prepared for, and he strains his calf at an unfamiliar position, doing unfamiliar things. Maybe it would have been better to keep the All Pro at his position and move the Not All Pro Williams? Maybe less health risk in playing the younger player at an unaccustomed position? Maybe less risk overall risking the less valuable player? We lost 6 games from Martin this way.
5. Played Steele before Knight at T: there's no one who thinks this was a good call except Steele's mom.
6. Played Looney over Biadasz at the end of the season. By PFF's metric, Looney's play collapsed at the end of the season. Early in the season, Looney's PFF was > 60, but the final for the full year was 50.5, meaning his end of the year play was significantly worse than that 50.5 to bring down his 60+ average to 50. Meanwhile, Biadasz was 53.5 for the year, as a rookie should have been expected to ramp up with increasing experience, and any snaps for Biadasz now pay dividends into the future by speeding his development. Playing Biadasz would have been better for *this* season and the future.