State of the Season (1/3 mark)

[McKDaddy]

As six games is basically a third of the season, I'd be interested in everyone's key takeaways from a good & bad standpoint thus far or what you think are keys going forward. So, what if we all state 1 of each and see what kind of "Top X" we come up with for both. No long, drawn out posts. Just be as concise as possible. I'll start us off (and I'll try not to just do the obvious.)

Good: Young players (Bohanna, Osa, Tyler, TE's, Bland, etc.,) are contributing. Gives me hope that the team can truly get better all year.

Concerning: Team isn't as dynamic on offense. Going to rely on efficient grind it out offense & defense. Can win a lot of games but margin for error is fairly thin.

 

[Aven8]

Luckily for us I see no KC or Buffalo type teams in the conference. Scoring 31, 41 etc. Detroit is actually the highest scoring team in the NFC.

We should continue the same blueprint we’ve been following all season and it should take care of itself.

 

[john van brocklin]

As six games is basically a third of the season, I'd be interested in everyone's key takeaways from a good & bad standpoint thus far or what you think are keys going forward. So, what if we all state 1 of each and see what kind of "Top X" we come up with for both. No long, drawn out posts. Just be as concise as possible. I'll start us off (and I'll try not to just do the obvious.)

Good: Young players (Bohanna, Osa, Tyler, TE's, Bland, etc.,) are contributing. Gives me hope that the team can truly get better all year.

Concerning: Team isn't as dynamic on offense. Going to rely on efficient grind it out offense & defense. Can win a lot of games but margin for error is fairly thin.

I see getting the QB play sorted out as the main issue.
We will only go as far as solid QB play takes us
Once we reach the playoffs.
Hope dak can be solid.
Thats all we need him to be.

 

[cnuball21]

I'm very excited about the rest of season. I thought we were toast when Dak went down and the D and ST rallied around Rush to put us in great position rest of season.

- The defense is playing better than expected - think they can be a top 5 unit rest of year
- Running game looks strong - impressed by how well the OL is playing
- Offense should vastly improve when Dak gets back - I expect some up / downs early as he gets back into rhythm but once he does and MG13 is back to 100% we'll be good

The NFC is awful this year. If the defense can stay close to the way it's been playing and Dak can play like he normally does when he's healthy then I don't see why we can't compete with any team in the NFC.

 

[CouchCoach]

Team has a better record than I anticipated and the OL has played better as well.

 

[Creeper]

Going into the season I think the big question marks were the offensive line, WRs and DTs. So what have we seen so far?

On the offensive line, the first thing I would mention is Terence Steel is better than I expected. I was very concerned about him since he had little experience playing RT. But Steele has emerged as one of the best run blockers in the league. His pass protection is steady and getting better. Then we remember Biadasz from last year. Early on he got pushed around by some of the bigger DTs in the league and we still see that once in a while but it is rare. He has also corrected some of the mental mistakes he made last year. He is not near all-pro, but he is steady and good enough. Then there is LG. We are seeing fewer holding penalties from that position so that is an improvement. Farniok was okay while playing and McGovern has done okay since he returned. I think LG is the weak link on the OL still but that doesn't mean it is a weakness. At LT, Tyler Smith has been much better than anyone could have expected considering he played LG most of the preseason. I think he is already better than Tyron Smith run blocking but Tyron is better in pass protection still. Overall the OL has been really good despite the loss of Tyron.

The WRs are still not at full strength. CeeDee has been pretty good although some dropped passes are maddening. Gallup too will make some tough catches then drop some easy ones. The real surprise has been Noah Brown. The problem is no one else has stepped up to give the Cowboys WR depth. To me, WR is still a problem. I have my doubts Washington will elevate the Cowboys WRs group much but we'll have to see.

As for the DTs, I think Bohanna has played surprisingly well taking on double teams. Osa Odighizuwa has played well but he is not build to stand up to a strong running game. Gallimore is turning out to be Maliek Collins. He will make a play but mostly disappear. Hill has played well at times but he is not an impact player. The Cowboys still need a DT who can penetrate into the backfield. That guy is not on the roster. The Cowboys do not have the two big guys to control the middle of the line. Washington has Allen and Payne. The Giants have Lawrence and Williams. The Eagles have Cox and Davis and Hargrave. Bohanna and Gallimore do not stack up to any of those guys.

Then there is the QB. Let's be honest. When Dak got hurt who thought the Cowboys would be 4-2 at this point? I think we all assumed losses to the Rams and Bengals, and maybe even the Giants. I am shocked at the Cowboys 4-2 record without Dak but the Cowboys got lucky the Rams and Bengals are not the same teams from last year.

Overall, I think the defense has played exceptionally well. They are the reason the Cowboys are 4-2. Rush did a good job not throwing the game away, until the Eagles game of course. The offense is underperforming.

 

[TequilaCowboy]

Not bad for a team having to deal with injuries to key offensive players; the rest of the season should be very optimistic since most other than Tyrone will be back and the D should be getting better every week. Micah needs to heal properly and get back to dominating and making a difference. I don't expect philthy or the gspots to continue to be lucky. They will get their losses as well.

 

[Praxit]

..we're sitting pretty. Buckle up. ..

 

[blueblood70]

I see getting the QB play sorted out as the main issue.

Hope dak can be solid.
.

how about we can hope this TEAM doesn't chart their leotards

as team we have oiur worst outinf sij big games
case in point,

14 penalty's
11 by the OL which also couldn't produce a run game and had many plays blown up...

defense couldn't stop the run consistently
game plans aren't good against better defenses
this is NOT DAK

give Dak what you gave rush but in the playoff games or big games down the stretch and hes always been more then solid.

give him what happened in the 9er game and what hes supposed to overcome a team letdown? that not what i see from many top tier qbs none overcome total mees from team and coaches.

 

[75boyz]

I'll say at the 6 game mark of this season the NFC is as weak as I can remember it as a whole.
I thought KC and Buffalo appeared to be better than both Philly and Dallas teams but then they're AFC.
HOF QB led teams Tampa and GB appear very beatable although Dallas has lost to one and plays the other later.
Dallas defense is legit although their run defense lapses have been exploited in the Tampa and Philly games.
Pass Defense is outstanding.
Oline is good and progressing towards excellent.
Running backs are good.
Dak ain't gonna get a much better shot.

It's up to Dak and McCarthy to win a few playoff games.
The roster is competitive enough to do this on both sides of the ball.

HEAD coaching(NOT OC'ing) and Quarterbacking will be my focus going forward for this team to succeed this year.

No more excuses.

 

[JD_KaPow]

As six games is basically a third of the season, I'd be interested in everyone's key takeaways from a good & bad standpoint thus far or what you think are keys going forward. So, what if we all state 1 of each and see what kind of "Top X" we come up with for both. No long, drawn out posts. Just be as concise as possible. I'll start us off (and I'll try not to just do the obvious.)

Good: Young players (Bohanna, Osa, Tyler, TE's, Bland, etc.,) are contributing. Gives me hope that the team can truly get better all year.

Concerning: Team isn't as dynamic on offense. Going to rely on efficient grind it out offense & defense. Can win a lot of games but margin for error is fairly thin.

The offense is as expected (ignoring Dak being out, obviously). We lost Amari, Tyron, Wilson and others and didn't really add anyone of consequence*, and the results are a diminished offensive unit with less playmaking capability and margin for error.

Defense and special teams are mild positive surprises (thought both would be good but didn't know they'd be this good).

The other good is that the NFC as a mess. I don't think this team would be a Super Bowl contender most years, but the Eagles are the only team that's clearly playing better and anything can happen in the playoffs. I do think all the NFC teams are playing for the right to get stomped in the Super Bowl, but again, anything can happen in one game.

*Yes, we added Tyler and the rookie TEs, but up to this point, they've been serving as replacements for injured starters, not new pieces beyond the guys we thought we'd have in place.

 

[dsturgeon]

It has been a great season, and fun to watch

 

[SinceDayOne]

It has been a great season, and fun to watch

I agree. The defense has been really impressive. And being 4-2 with a backup QB is good with the starter set to return. The bad news is they are two games back in the division and in third place. But there is a lot of football to be played; eleven games remain. Still plenty of time to get to the top of the NFC East. The important thing is to keep in contention for the first dozen or so games and get hot at season's end like the Bengals and Rams did last year. In the NFC this year the Cowboys have as good a chance of going the SB as anyone. They CAN do it. Question is WILL they do it?

 

[AyeAtey]

Need to solidify the middle of the DL.
The left side of the OL is iffy, and need big time improvement.
So far injuries are at a minimum without drastic downward effect.
Still got time to weather the storm, fix, improve and gel.
Standings wise, not in a bad spot, all things considered.
So it's one game (week) at a time and not where you are now, but where, in ending of December.