State of OL

[visionary]

need a starting caliber OG in FA or draft
that would still leave RT as a bit of a question mark

so, improved but FAR from finished

 

[SportsGuru80]

Keep building QUALITY DEPTH through the draft!!!! Let the best man win in training camp!

 

[jnday]

Interesting numbers.

They got lucky health-wise. They were 1 injury away from Phil Costa starting. If a Guard got injured, Costa would probably be the Center with Fred moving to Guard.

Bernadeau and Leary both have injury issues. Bernadeau has had 2 surgeries in 2 years. He had 2 separate injuries that lingered in 2012 and had another minor issue in training camp this year. Leary had a problem with his good knee in training camp. His other knee has a degenerative condition that could be fine for 10 years like it was for Jonathan Vilma or it could pop at any minute.

Romo is in his mid thirties and has had 2 back surgeries in the past year. They can't afford to take any chances on the OL, IMO.

Keep in mind that the Cowboys don't seem to do well picking OL in the mid to late rounds of the draft.

The line is one injury away from being a total mess. That makes me realize just how fragile the unit is at this time.

 

[tm1119]

Taking a guy who can play either guard or tackle in the 3rd/4th would be ideal in my opinion. Morgan Moses out of Virginia and Joel Bitonio from Nevada are 2 guys in the middle rounds that I've been looking at. I've always liked the idea of taking college LT's and moving them to OG in the NFL.

 

[big dog cowboy]

I'm sure Garrett won't get any credit for this.

 

[Risen Star]

The OL didn't improve because of continuity. It didn't improve because of coaching. It improved because 4 of the 5 positions were filled by better players this year. Tyron was better, Leary was ready and better than Livings, Waters was better than 2012 Bernadeau and when Bernadeau had to play down the stretch he was better than last year. Most importantly, you replaced a semi-pro player like Phil Costa, one of the most embarrassing players to ever play in a Cowboys uniform with the exception of the scabs, with a legitimate top C. That is huge.

All of this allowed the Cowboys to shift their protection to help Free. Which made him better than last year too.

Continuity wouldn't have helped the 2012 OL. You could have turned them into a human centipede surgically and they weren't going to play well. They lacked talent. You were never going to have a quality OL with a middle of Livings, Costa and Bernadeau. Shame on anyone for even thinking it was possible. You've lost your ability to ever be taken seriously again. It was a smorgasbord of stiffs.

It improved a lot but is still not fixed. The starting G spots are questionable and there is zero depth.

Same deal with the DL now. We don't need continuity. We need talent. Then we'll worry about staying healthy and creating chemistry.

 

[LatinMind]

The OL didn't improve because of continuity. It didn't improve because of coaching. It improved because 4 of the 5 positions were filled by better players this year. Tyron was better, Leary was ready and better than Livings, Waters was better than 2012 Bernadeau and when Bernadeau had to play down the stretch he was better than last year. Most importantly, you replaced a semi-pro player like Phil Costa, one of the most embarrassing players to ever play in a Cowboys uniform with the exception of the scabs, with a legitimate top C. That is huge.

All of this allowed the Cowboys to shift their protection to help Free. Which made him better than last year too.

Continuity wouldn't have helped the 2012 OL. You could have turned them into a human centipede surgically and they weren't going to play well. They lacked talent. You were never going to have a quality OL with a middle of Livings, Costa and Bernadeau. Shame on anyone for even thinking it was possible. You've lost your ability to ever be taken seriously again. It was a smorgasbord of stiffs.

It improved a lot but is still not fixed. The starting G spots are questionable and there is zero depth.

Same deal with the DL now. We don't need continuity. We need talent. Then we'll worry about staying healthy and creating chemistry.

So your thinking is Tyron got replaced by a better version of tyron that just happens to be tyron? Same with Free and Mack?

 

[TellerMorrow34]

We definately need OG help. There is zero question. I also would like to see some more depth but we're gonna have to use so many resources on DL that it's going to be pretty difficult for us to do a whole lot to help the O-Line.

 

[Risen Star]

So your thinking is Tyron got replaced by a better version of tyron that just happens to be tyron? Same with Free and Mack?

No, I'm thinking a player matures as he gets older and gains experience in the league and eventually enters what I've dubbed secretly as his "prime".

Dez Bryant is better today than he was a year ago. Has nothing to do with continuity. It's talent developing and gaining experience.

Free was helped more this year. Bernadeau was a spot starter. He was better than last year but still not good. It's ridiculous to think all the 2012 OL needed was continuity or even that it was a big factor in their performance. That 5 collectively sucked. Which is why the Cowboys replaced 3 of the 5 this year.

 

[Risen Star]

We definately need OG help. There is zero question. I also would like to see some more depth but we're gonna have to use so many resources on DL that it's going to be pretty difficult for us to do a whole lot to help the O-Line.

I'm expecting a backup G drafted in the mid to late rounds. That's it.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

I'm expecting a backup G drafted in the mid to late rounds. That's it.

That's my feeling as well and I'd say it bugs me but I really can't. This D-line needs so many resources thrown at it that to me there is really no other option right now.

 

[DallasEast]

Same deal with the DL now. We don't need continuity. We need talent and quality depth from end to end. Then we'll worry about staying healthy and creating chemistry.

Fixed.

Rod Marineli made chicken soup out of swamp water and two burnt sticks. This season's focus should be on acquiring defensive line starters and depth through free agency and the draft. Salary cap aside, I just don't know how much work can be done to adequately fix the defensive line without sacrificing other team needs.

 

[Risen Star]

That's my feeling as well and I'd say it bugs me but I really can't. This D-line needs so many resources thrown at it that to me there is really no other option right now.

If we go into the draft with that mindset, hold your nose. We're dropping a steamer.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

Fixed.

Rod Marineli made chicken soup out of swamp water and two burnt sticks. This season's focus should be on acquiring defensive line starters and depth through free agency and the draft. Salary cap aside, I just don't know how much work can be done to adequately fix the defensive line which sacrificing other team needs.

It's going to come at the expense of putting any real effort at putting depth on the O-Line and getting better safety play. Those are two areas that will have to go largely without any real help so that this D-Line can be helped in a major way.

The good thing is that IF they can come up with a couple quality players for the D-Line then keeping Selvie and Hayden gives them some quality depth already here. They also might finally get something out of Crawford if he can finally be healthy for a change. We'll see there.

But they're going to have no choice but to go very heavy on the D-Line this year.

 

[Sasquatch]

Keep building QUALITY DEPTH through the draft!!!! Let the best man win in training camp!

I second this. No more "we are set at this position for years" nonsense. Draft the best available talent even if it's redundant to foster intense competition across the board.

 

[21Savage]

I love it when people stand on the podium and scream that a player is a bum and would only get exposed the more he plays. Then when that player (Mack) gets more exposure and only keeps playing better, they're still obstinate with their opinions. Lol. They sound like kids closing their eyes, covering their years up and just saying "No, no, no!"

I agree with those who say we need to draft more interior linemen because of the injury history of our guards. But what is it about Mack's play this year that would make anyone say he doesn't deserve 2.7 mil or he's a back up at best?

This is a young, talented line and there's no reason to believe that-as long as they stay healthy-they won't get better.

Tyron is all of 23. Enough said!

Leary played LT in college and played G for the first time when he got here. He's a big man with LT feet and arms almost as freakishly long as Tyron's (who can used another off season to reshape his body). As long as that knee holds up he's going to be much improved.

Frederick was a rookie who the Giants said they thought they could take advantage of and then realized that wasn't the case. The Mangold comparisons don't sound so ridiculous now. With how conscientious he is how wouldn't get get better.

Mack was gonna be a starter in Carolina but wasn't dependable because of his injury history. This is the one big caveat with him. However, this is the first offseason he'll be going into not requiring surgery and looking to fully participate. He's a big, powerful, athletic guard. His play this season, along with Carl Nick's rocky stint in Tampa so far, justifies the offseason signings of he and Livings IMO.

The only reason Free is not being heralded as a top player is because people still have memories of last year. I don't think people realize just how good the KC and St Louis D-lines are. Those guys did nothing against us, for the most part, mainly due to Free and Tyron taking care of Long/Quinn and Houston/Ali. Going into his 3rd year at RT, I think he'll prove to be a true staple on this line. He's always had the feet; this year he played with technique to anchor. His confidence is on a crescendo.

 

[TellerMorrow34]

If we go into the draft with that mindset, hold your nose. We're dropping a steamer.

I agree but what else are they doing to do? I saw an article where they were talking about all these restructures and cuts they could do to get us to where we can be able to sign some players.

I'm more a BPA guy when it comes to the draft, cause I hate drafting on need alone, but I'm afraid they're going to have no choice.

 

[21Savage]

No, I'm thinking a player matures as he gets older and gains experience in the league and eventually enters what I've dubbed secretly as his "prime".

Dez Bryant is better today than he was a year ago. Has nothing to do with continuity. It's talent developing and gaining experience.

Free was helped more this year. Bernadeau was a spot starter. He was better than last year but still not good. It's ridiculous to think all the 2012 OL needed was continuity or even that it was a big factor in their performance. That 5 collectively sucked. Which is why the Cowboys replaced 3 of the 5 this year.

Lol. Talk about giving up your credibility and any reason to be taken seriously.

 

[noshame]

would have liked to see us stick with the run for at least one whole game it would give us a better idea of just how good this line can be.I thought the pass blocking was more than adequatebut no way we can stand pat

 

[DallasEast]

It's going to come at the expense of putting any real effort at putting depth on the O-Line and getting better safety play. Those are two areas that will have to go largely without any real help so that this D-Line can be helped in a major way.

The good thing is that IF they can come up with a couple quality players for the D-Line then keeping Selvie and Hayden gives them some quality depth already here. They also might finally get something out of Crawford if he can finally be healthy for a change. We'll see there.

But they're going to have no choice but to go very heavy on the D-Line this year.

I agree about Selvie but think Hayden is a stop gap at defensive tackle. I don't think they're putting a high concern grade on safety through the draft--maybe more so through free agency.