NJ22
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What "blowing up " do you do on a team that will have 3 starters that are 29 or older? This roster is already in a different window.
Skip, Stephen A: Cowboys to finish last in NFCE
- Thread starter cowboyvic
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What "blowing up " do you do on a team that will have 3 starters that are 29 or older? This roster is already in a different window.
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8-8 last year with the worst defense in the league and sooooooooo many injuries.
TheFinisher
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A lot of people are picking us to be worse this year because of all the turnover on the defensive line. I think a lot of them are overestimating what the loss of Ware means because he was such a great player for so long, but reality is he just wasn't that good last year. He still garnered additional attention from offenses but he just wasn't good enough to win those battles consistently. Remains to be seen what kind of learning curve Lawrence will have as a rookie, but he at least has a chance to fill the void of the 2013 Ware.
Hatcher was a big loss, he was a monster last season and probably one of the most productive lineman in the league. We'll see if Melton is the same guy he was pre-injury, if he is that guy then we will at least have a capable 3-tech, although it will be very tough for him to duplicate Hatchers season.
Really anyone's guess if the swap of Lawrence/Melton for ware/hatcher is an upgrade for 2014, optimists will say yes but there is a legitimate argument that it isn't. The real difference may be in the additions of better depth in the form of mincey, McClain, and possibly Gardner/bishop. But again, it's no certainty.
The rest of the defense that finished dead last remains largely in tact, this is why many pundits are not buying what we're selling. We still have a potentially fatal situation at Safety, which has killed us for years giving up the big plays, a group of linebackers with question marks, and CBs who have not lived up to their billing. Keep in mind that we are going to be running basically the same scheme with pretty much the same defensive coaches... Both of which got exposed last season and led many to question if that style of defense had become extinct due to the spread out up tempo offenses of today.
As a fan I'm remaining optimistic that somehow it will work out and we'll see improvements, but I have a hard time explaining why to the detractors other than the injury excuse...
Hatcher was a big loss, he was a monster last season and probably one of the most productive lineman in the league. We'll see if Melton is the same guy he was pre-injury, if he is that guy then we will at least have a capable 3-tech, although it will be very tough for him to duplicate Hatchers season.
Really anyone's guess if the swap of Lawrence/Melton for ware/hatcher is an upgrade for 2014, optimists will say yes but there is a legitimate argument that it isn't. The real difference may be in the additions of better depth in the form of mincey, McClain, and possibly Gardner/bishop. But again, it's no certainty.
The rest of the defense that finished dead last remains largely in tact, this is why many pundits are not buying what we're selling. We still have a potentially fatal situation at Safety, which has killed us for years giving up the big plays, a group of linebackers with question marks, and CBs who have not lived up to their billing. Keep in mind that we are going to be running basically the same scheme with pretty much the same defensive coaches... Both of which got exposed last season and led many to question if that style of defense had become extinct due to the spread out up tempo offenses of today.
As a fan I'm remaining optimistic that somehow it will work out and we'll see improvements, but I have a hard time explaining why to the detractors other than the injury excuse...
cowboy_ron
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If, and to use your terms "it is what it is" then what it IS, is an 8-8 team that plays for the division in week 17
TheFinisher
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The thing is, we didn't do much to upgrade it.
TrailBlazer
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I don't see 10 wins on Dallas schedule. And, Dallas almost swept the division last year with the skins and giants being so bad. I don't see that happening again.
Nova
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Have you seen all the changes the Giants have made? They have really improved their secondary, despite the fact that last year their defense was pretty solid (7th in opp. Passer rating, probably the most important defensive statistic available). They easily have the best defense in the division.
On offense, they finally got rid of Kevin Gilbride, who most felt like was holding the team back as well as made moves to help clean up that porous OL from last year. If you’ve ever watched a Giants-Cowboys game and wondered why the Giants stopped attacking what was working, well you can thank Kevin Gilbride for that.
I have them winning the division.
May be surprising, but I have Philly finishing last.
CrownCowboy
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Until it is proven otherwise, I am going to go with another injury riddled season where our ceiling will be 8 wins. If that is good enough to compete for a division title then that's what will happen, with a big L at the end of the year. Just like it has been the last three years.
Considering how awful our defense is and how this team just can't ever stay healthy and how we have lost some games due to some horrible coaching decisions at the end of games each of the last three seasons, I don't know how anyone can think otherwise.
Skip and Stephen A are, as mentioned, hacks. Calling the Cowboys a 6 win team is not far-fetched though.
Considering how awful our defense is and how this team just can't ever stay healthy and how we have lost some games due to some horrible coaching decisions at the end of games each of the last three seasons, I don't know how anyone can think otherwise.
Skip and Stephen A are, as mentioned, hacks. Calling the Cowboys a 6 win team is not far-fetched though.
cowboyvic
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Why are they hacks? because they don't agree with the BS Jerry sell's to the fans and local media every year?everyone who think that this team is not good is not a hack.
Deep_South
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Boyzmamacita
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Come on, cowboyvic, everybody knows those two are hacks regardless of their opinions. They can't be taken seriously. It's a clown show strictly for entertainment and it works. I mean, look at all these threads about Stephen A and Little Skippy. They keep talking about the Cowboys for ratings and it keeps working. But rarely do they even believe what they are saying and neither should we.
Sportsbabe
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In a word .... ESPN.
ShiningStar
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epsn is or never has been about the reporting or just doing sports, no one would listen if they talked truth, but for the sake of argument, so what? Ending up in last place has done well for the chiefs. in the league of parity or mediocrity you can be last place one year and playoff bound the next. Who cares, Last place, its what we fans make of the road.
guag
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Have you been living in a cave for the last few years?
CowboysFaninHouston
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are the giants that much better off than we are? and the skins.....so a new coach, new scheme and desean Jackson is going to propel them to new heights?
car351
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Really nice post man. I wanna believe in this year's team soooo bad, but every bit of what you posted here is accurate in my opinion. Keep hope alive I guess at this point...
guag
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And you can't tell me the defense this year will be worse than last year's. No way in hell.
DFWJC
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Here are the players we "added" this year due to acquisition, draft or return from injury.
Almost certain help:
Sean Lee (starting MLB, huge upgrade)
Henry Melton (starting DT3)
Tyron Crawford (full rotation in oline, upgrade in depth DE and DT)
Zack Martin (starting OG, upgrade)
DeMarcus Lawrence (full rotation in RDE, start downgrade short term...though Ware was not very gd in '13, death upgrade with Selvie/)
Terrel McClain (upgrade at DT1..>>Hayden)
Jeremy Mincey (DE depth upgrade)
Ryan Williams (RB depth upgrade)
Devin Street (probable WR depth upgrade...Miles was non-existent in 2013)
possible help:
Anthony Spencer (by wk 6 or so)
A Hitchen (LB depth)
K Bishop (young depth)
Amobi Okoye (possible DT depth)
M Johnson (only possible, but if plays is depth upgrade)
B Gardner (DE depth)
T Mitchell (CB depth)
A Dixon (S depth)
W Smith (LB depth)
B Malena (possible 3rd down back upgrade)
Plus, this is one of the younger teams in the league now.
Those teams usually experience internal growth as well.
Additional players with large or small upside:
Tyron Smith (becoming elite)
Dez (becoming elite)
Frederick (only 2nd year starter)
T Williams (2nd year starter)
Mo Claiborne (big upside)
Wilcox (only 2nd year, prob starter)
Carter (much potential, won't be worse)
Escobar (very high potential)