Super Bowl... I don't think so.

[jimmy40]

A super bowl team?...Top 3 in the NFL?

Is it possible? yes

Is it likely? no way

I am happy with the FA moves, and I'm excited about the draft...however, as the end of the year wore on last season, we STUNK. Don't talk to me about the Carolina game...Talk to me about the NY Giants and the Commanders, followed by the Rams.

Our offense was pretty putrid, and our defense was not as stout as it was earlier.

What have we really done to go from a 9-7 team that consistantly underperformed to a team thought to be top 3 in the NFC and a SB favorite? Please...don't make me laugh. I'm not saying it can't happen, but let's be realistic.

Our OL was horrible...what did we do? Released our best lineman last year and let our depth at LT leave. We signed a OG whom many are unsure of and who wasn't supposed to start in Detroit, but did, to replace LA. We are counting on a full recovery by Adams, and hoping he isn't rusty, that he plays well enough to be a force without Allen by his side...he's really only had 1 really good year, imo. We still have the same train wreck at C with Johnson and Gurode...i guess we're all hoping they both improve dramatically. We're also hoping Rivera improves dramatically since he was not very good last year...we're blaming it on the injury and hoping for better with no backup in sight. And to fix the horror that was Pettitti at RT last season, we have brought in Fabini, who is really a LT, not known as much of a run blocker...let's face it...he's an 11 year vet who was available.

AT RB, we hope we have stars in waiting in JJ and Barber, but in reality, we're looking at a guy who can't stay healthy and a solid, but unspectacular sophomore.

At WR, we released our best blocker and a reliable receiver who moved the chains...we hope Owens is the stud we paid for and that he won't be rusty or frustrated by our OL blocking....we also hope like heck that he and Glenn stay healthy and that Crayton can at least look like a #3 receiver...again, we blame it on injury.

On defense, we released a probowl DT/NT, and we hope Ferguson plays better and stays healthy...we hope our LBs stay healthy and play well, so we're not watching Shanlee or Fowler again...oh yeah, we lost Fajita and DAT.

Don't get me wrong...I think we're headed in the right direction, and I hope Bledsoe can play as well as he did last year, though he was 2nd or 3rd from the league lead in INT's, right? (17) with an 83 QB rating...not bad, but not exactly looking like a super star to me.

I just don't believe Rome is built in a day....we may see teams go from losing records to the SB in a year every now and then, but I would argue it's much less frequent that many of you believe...I'd also argue that those teams who did it were much more talented than we were during the bad season. The Dallas Cowboys clearly had little to no talent just two seasons ago...I think we're headed in the right direction, but I also believe:

Those who think we are going to the SB are in for a huge disappointment.

I'll be happy with a long-awaited playoff appearance and possibly a first round victory. However, I don't think we are better or deeper on the DL from last year...the fact is we are currently less deep. I don't think our OL went from the botton to the top with the prospect of Adams, Kozier, Johnson, Rivera, Fabini and a train wreck for depth...slightly better, more due to the hope that Adams is okay than anything else.

We weren't a WR and a Kicker away from the SB last season, imo....but feel free to tell me how many games we'd have won with a kicker.

I won't pretend I can predict whether Parcells is really all about this year, but I certainly hope not...this team is trying to get by with the OL...what we truly need to go with the defensive draft we had last year is a young foundation on offense this April.

I know the glamourous talk is of LBs or DBs or even a backup NT, but I would never go that route. I'd spend my first pick on a WR (Jackson/Holmes) to compete for #3 this year and be a key guy in the future. I'd spend my 2nd and 3rd picks on an OT (perhaps McNeill) and an OG (I'd trade players or picks to get into round 2 and get one of the top 4 OGs).

I'd hope to trade down somewhere to get 4 picks on day 1, but even if I have to sit on the 3 I have, I've got to get out of day 1 with a top WR, an OT, and an OG...guys who can compete and be the cornerstones of our OL in a year or two when the Fabini's and Rivera's are gone. Our youth and talent on the DL changed the way we and other teams look at our defense. Now it's time to do the same thing on the Offensive side.

Just my opinion.

Of course all this stuff pales in comparison to what happens the 4th or 5th time Deadsloe bounces a pass to a wide open TO. That's the biggest question going into this year. If TO melts down the team will fall apart, that's a proven fact, and no talking about how Parcells is God and can handle TO, hell, he couldn't handle Antonio Bryant.

 

[burmafrd]

Anyone who claims that our O line was the worst ever miss by a mile.
Texas had a much worse O line for the last 4. AND we had a REALLY BAD one in 2002- you do remember picking up guys on the waiver wire and starting them the next Sunday, right?

 

[Idgit]

I have issues? Or our team has issues?

Here, you'll like this better: I see us going no worse than 12-4 and playing in the NFC championship...we are clearly one of the super bowl favorites thanks to T.O., who will make the entire city of Dallas a better place, along with Vanderjack (we'd have been in the SB hunt last season with him), and let's not forget that we have made huge strides with our OL this year...it wouldn't surprise me to see Adams, Fabini, and Rivera all in the ProBowl, though Kozier gets robbed...Go Cowboys.

Wow...I'll bet my I.Q. just went up 30 points, huh?

Shot right up, to 30, in my book!

 

[DLCassidy]

no question about it...last yr was possibly the worst OL play I have ever seen from this team in 30 years...only thing close to how bad last yr was IMO was 1989 when we were 1-15

David

Not for the first 6 weeks. The first 6 weeks I'd give the OL a C for run blocking and a B for pass blocking. Overall grade with FA in the lineup C+ to B-

After the first six I'd give it a C- for run blocking and an F for pass blocking. Overall grade without FA- D.

Season Grade: C-

 

[Canadian BoyzFan]

I certainly do not project a SB trip this year.
I do see a better team on paper.

Last year injuries to the O-line and A Henry were huge. The K situation has been beaten like a dead horse. I think we have an expected record of anywhere between 7-12 wins. It depends where the chips fall in those 5 games.

 

[Little Jr]

I don't think so. Simple strategy. You don't waste resources trying to completely shut down the team's strongest point (WR) because you leave yourself open to other attacks and it's still a toss-up whether you'll be successful. Instead, you try to keep it in check and attack the weak points (OL). If Bledsoe has only a second to release the ball, chances are that one CB could cover even TO for that one second. It's when you leave that CB on TO for more then 3 that you really start having problems.

Defence coord. do it all the time. Are you telling me that defences just play straight up all the time? No 8 man in the box against dominant RB's? No double dominant WR's? They will not keep TO in check. Epecially if you single coverage him. The coord. will plan around TO and it will help the whold O. Are line was bad last year but he had more than a second many of times.

 

[Little Jr]

no question about it...last yr was possibly the worst OL play I have ever seen from this team in 30 years...only thing close to how bad last yr was IMO was 1989 when we were 1-15

David

I thought the 2002 OL was one of the worst OL in the history of the NFL. Last year OL wasnt that bad. I thought. When Flo went down the OL went down. I think there are quite of few teams OL would be quite a bit worst if they lost their starting LT.

 

[Justis]

WR - We got old ones now, not as good as Antonio Bryant and Joey Galloway

QB - Arguable here, I guess you could say they were the same

is this a joke?

 

[Chuck 54]

I can understand you wanting to be more realistic than what some are predicting, but your entire thread is based on the glass half empty concept. Also, our running back situation is not as bad as you portray.

again, don't get me wrong...we would be wrong to draft or bring in a rb at this point...we have seen flashes from Julius Jones, and we have a solid backup in Barber...there is great hope for these guys...my point on the running backs, as with the OL, etc, is not that they stink, but that there are many questions...if everything and every player we have hope for performs, then yes, we may be in the championship hunt....my point is that we don't have many players who can be counted on...we have hope...and many many questions at many positions.

This team that we hope competes for the championship could also easily miss the playoffs entirely again due to a number of positions that we only hope will be better.

 

[Chuck 54]

Wayne you are not the first to bring up that a lot hinges on the o-line...But you are perhaps one of the few to see we are paper thin at WR...also The RB thing is worrisome... I am not as worried at NT as I think Pepper Johnson will do fine and I think we will probably draft somebody I would like to have another CB for piece of mind but we might be ok there and of course we need a FS and not JAG...

I of course am not a bledsoe fan and deem him more of a liability to the offensive than beneficial especially to the o-line...

Yup all are valid points if they all go right for the Cowboys I think a trip to the playoffs is pretty reasonable...and once you are in who knows...

I could see the Cowboys going anywhere from 6-10(everything seems to go wrong) to 10-6(everything seems to be going right) as it currently stands and that is a 4 game swing.


If I had to make a guess I will say about half of them will go right and the other half won't which would make us probably a 8-8 team..

If we had a more pocket savy QB that didn't make many mistakes I would up the projections by 2 games..thus worse case 8-8/middle 10-6/best case 12-4...

just my $.02

I agree completely...very reasonable and realistic view....unfortunately, you will probably also be deemed a pessimistic, glass half empty guy. I have high hopes of everyone performing well and our making the playoffs this season, but I think the odds are extremely long of our being anywhere near ready to compete for the SB....that's my opinion.

 

[Chuck 54]

your post falls apart on a few assumptions you stated as facts. there is not substantial evidence to backup any of the assumptions you made. read on....

why dismiss the carolina game? didn't that game count? didn't go into the win column? in order to prove your point you dismiss the good stuff and want to just keep focus on the bad stuff. so if you consider the KC and carolina game we were about .500 at the end of the year and our record was 9-7, one game above .500.

you can't simply dismiss what happens and focus on what you WANT.



our offense became average and that was mainly due to OL and that mainly due to loss of one player. Adams, who most people wanted to dismiss from the team before the season started. now we know.

before adams injury we average 24 points per game. after the injury less than 19.

same with defense, we lost 3 starters (dat, Singlton, Henry). any team would be effected if they lost three key starters. what hurt more was that we didn't have enough depth.

well rome wasn't built in a day.



we lost the KC game and the Seattle game because of missed field goals. so that was addresses. we had shanle and fowler two UDFA starting at ILB spot last year. we got ayodele. we get singleton back and Fujita who was a big liability in all probability will be replaced. we added LB depth with Boiman. signed a true FS with cover skills in Coleman. signed a young blocking TE.

so what's wrong with adding depth? and improving the team.



well this is were you are wrong. LA wasn't our best OL. Adams was. you say he had one good year, but then we lose him and you saw what happened.

you call losing Tucker...losing depth. did you know in 10 starts last year he gave up the highest number of sacks...of any OL in the league!!! give me a break. please don't make things up trying to spell doom and gloom. stick to facts. fact is that columbo has more potential than tucker. or did you forget he is on our roster?

LA didn't fit our offensive scheme any more and as great as you think he was. as much as I loved LA, he wasn't any good any more. if he didn't get his hands on the defensive player he was done. he whiffed on many blocks. in case you didn't watch any games and I encourage you to do, you will see most of our big runs came to the right side of the line with rivera and pettiti

watch the tapes and you will see.



I don't call Johnson and groude train wreck. besides bently and a perhaps 5 or 6 more Centers in the league who is better than johnson? I bet you we will have a long argument. Johnson was average. he wasn't great but average.

but then again I believe you want a probowler at every position on the OL and you won't be satisfied otherwise.




we do have two good players. our running problems stemmed from the OL or did you forget you mentioned that earlier. so is it the RBs fault or is it the OL fault?

fact is we lost JJ and Barber stepped in and played just as well. not many teams enjoy that kind of luxuary. as bad as you think this combo was we were still 13th in the league in rushing.



TO is better than Johnson. there is no way in heck you can argue from a skills perspective that we made a mistake releasing KJ. a WR job is first to catch and then to block. you don't have a WR on your team to block and that be his main job. so you are approaching this from a totally wrong angle. you should have left this alone. with this you make yourself look like a full. how can you say TO is not reliable and KJ is reliable? KJ averaged less than 12 yards a catch. that's not good. that allows a defense to jam the line. and that effected our running game.

you are really fishing with this one.

if you would have discussed TOs off field antics and issues, then you would have had an argument. TO will change how defenses play us.



if you watch some film you will see how unreliable Glover was against the run in the 3-4. he didn't fit. they gave him a chance and he just wasn't any good at it. he tried hard, but that's not good enough. I am glad he is not here any more.

so now you hope our LBs stay healthy. let me ask you a question, would pittsburgh have the same hope? wouldn't new england have the same hope? wouldn't chicago have the same hope? wouldn't carolina have the same hope? should I go on?

every team hopes on their players to stay healthy. that statement doesn't make sense.

I am glad fujita is gone. I can't tell you how many times I screamed at the screen because he was out of position and he gave up a big play. he was a liability.

Dat is replaced by Ayodele. we didn't cut dat. he retired. so what are we suppose to do? are you finding fault with that?





I am glad at least you are heading in the right direction. you tried to make it seem like we are the worst team in the league.



we have as good a chance as any other team in the league. the contenders are Carolina, Seattle, Philly, Washington, Giants, Atlanta.

so what do they have that's so much better than us? don't they have any holes on their teams?



I am hoping adams is OK as well, but a half limping adams is better than tucker.



we were a kicker away from being a 11-5 team.

we were a WR away from being a 12-4 team.

playoffs and how you do there is another story.




I wouldn't draft jackson because I just think he is the product of a system. I wouldn't draft holmes because he maybe the best WR in this thin WR draft, but that doesn't mean you should reach.

we are an OLB away from being a dominant defense.

we need to add youth and depth to the NT for the future.

I don't like McNiel. I don't think we need another OT. I would rather thke College who has a bigger upside.

I would rather take a guard as you said.





I hope we draft an OLB, perhaps a CB and a guard on first day. if we have a 4th pick on day one the best WR or TE available in the 3rd.

that's just my opinion.

I'll keep my reply short...the fact is we see things differently on Adams, Glover, the entire OL, and probably also on Bledsoe and Parcells.

I hope you're right and we are in the NFC championship game...I just don't see it...hardly anyone agreed with me a few years ago when I said we had talent that ranked near the bottom of the league...I now think we also have a horrible OL that isn't going to be much better just because Adams is back.

WE'll see soon enough.

 

[Big D]

To me this season is all about improving the biggest weaknesses of last yrs team.

DEPTH and the KICKING GAME!

Both have been addressed. Is our kicking an better off? Damn straight it is!

How about the depth? This is where you can make an argument that it may not be better but noone will know for sure until they take the field.

I happen to think that a 2nd yr player at RT with a solid vet in place should he falter is BETTER than a rookie RT with no backup. Is a younger , more mobile Kosier BETTER than an incredibly strong but super-stiff LA? Perhaps. How about a RG 2 seasons removed from an injury as opposed to one?

Don't get me wrong. I would still like to see us continue to address the OL in the draft but I can't help thinking that if we were to go into last yr with this yrs team, we would be better prepared to handle the attrition.

 

[chinch]

TO. A true #1 WR. Vanderjack. Top 3 kicker in the NFL. We would have gone 11-5 with a kicker last year. 1st year to run the 3-4, now we have experience in the 3-4.


No one can guranttee anything becasue you never know about injuries. If there are no major or significant injuries I believe this team can make a run.

dead on.

the doom/gloomers and tuna haters are gonna be quiet this season.

 

[DLCassidy]

Wow...I'll bet my I.Q. just went up 30 points, huh?

....too easy:laugh1:

 

[burmafrd]

In the NFL its all about who is healthiest longest. Look at NE last year- Bellicek was not the genius he was supposed to be once the injuries piled up.
No coach is. Its who gets injured and when and for how long. We got hit at the one spot that ended up killing us. The Kicker also did us in. We have addressed kicker pretty well, and have taken steps about the OT. Will probably do more for the O line. If we stay healthy- we can win it all. Simple as that.

 

[Zaxor]

I agree completely...very reasonable and realistic view....unfortunately, you will probably also be deemed a pessimistic, glass half empty guy. I have high hopes of everyone performing well and our making the playoffs this season, but I think the odds are extremely long of our being anywhere near ready to compete for the SB....that's my opinion.

Bwahahaha they already think I am...But I told them before we signed Rivera that he looked to be done his last 2 years in Green bay even though he made the probowl... I also told them 2 years ago that Al Johnson was a problem (after watching him get blownup on thanksgiving when Henson was playing) I also told them Anthony Henry was going to be a good signing...I also told them we would lose both games to the skins last year... I also told them about the oline and Bledsoe etc. etc. ad nasuem you would think at some point they would see that I am not trying to dog the team but just trying to see it as realistic as I can...

 

[firehawk350]

Defence coord. do it all the time. Are you telling me that defences just play straight up all the time? No 8 man in the box against dominant RB's? No double dominant WR's? They will not keep TO in check. Epecially if you single coverage him. The coord. will plan around TO and it will help the whold O. Are line was bad last year but he had more than a second many of times.

Of course they do, you can't keep up the same attack, flexibility is key. I was using a generalized plan of attack. Why double team TO when you know an immobile QB is sitting behind a mediocre line? You can use the extra guy to blitz/run support banking on the fact that your corner could cover for longer then the extra guy takes to get to a QB, which I don't think is a long-shot. You can't keep doing it because you know that the offense will get wise and keep a TE or RB into block the extra guy. I think if you mixed it up that you would see the best effects. I'm not advocating not double-teaming TO at all.

 

[Dalmations202]

This team goes as the O-Line takes them. Too much hinges on the OLine.

IMO, Dallas should spend 2 first day picks on guys they think will be starting by mid-season.

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

I say BS to anyone who says no Super Bowl. There isn't a single dominant team in the NFC. It's up for grabs. If this was the AFC, I'd be worried about Indy, the Steelers, the Pats and a few others. Indy is always right there when it comes to the Super Bowl. Before winning the Super Bowl last year, Pittsburgh had a 14-2 (or something like that) season not too long ago. The Pats just won three Super Bowls in 4 years.

And then over in the NFC....

The Seahawks just won their first playoff game under Holmgren last year.
The Eagles, the only team that can claim any dominance in recent years, has fallen apart.
The Bears are a one year wonder until they prove otherwise.
Commanders, Giants, Buccs, are all new kids on the block after some recent disappoining stints. Remains to be seen if they become as dominant as those AFC teams I listed.

Yup, NFC is up for grabs. You're only fooling yourself if you think the Cowboys can't win it all. I think the most consistent NFC team in recent years has been the Panthers and that's it. 2 NFC Championship games in 3 years. Their one down year was full of injuries to key players.

I think the offensive line looked pretty decent before Flozell went down. Like everyone points out, we were a 12-4 team last year with a decent kicker.

Barring injuries, the Cowboys are in the thick of it as much as any other NFC team.

 

[burmafrd]

We stay healthy, pick up a couple of players in the draft, and we are playing in the Championship game. I believe the pieces are here. ANd if we make it to the SB, we have as good a shot as anyone. The Colts are soft, NE is past their peak, and Pittsburgh can be had. No one else in the AFC really worries me.