Tanier: Cowboys Offensive Line Shaping Up as Perhaps Greatest in NFL History

[JD_KaPow]

As always, good stuff from Mike Tanier. Includes a discussion of great OLs through history.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/...shaping-up-as-perhaps-greatest-in-nfl-history

What makes an offensive line great?
Super Bowls...
Pro Bowl Berths and All-Pro selections...
Offensive statistics...
Offensive statistics by different sets of skill-position players: Bingo. A great offensive line should make multiple quarterbacks and running backs look good, not just established superstars. This is what qualifies the Cowboys line for a spot among the best ever.

As soon as the Smith-Frederick-Martin nucleus came together in 2014, DeMarco Murray won the NFL rushing title and Offensive Player of the Year honors. Tony Romo led the NFL in completion percentage, touchdown percentage and quarterback rating; he had not led the NFL in any positive categories since 2006 before that. The Cowboys won 12 games after four years mired around .500 and came within some controversial calls of reaching the NFC Championship Game.

Murray left, and Romo got hurt last year. The Cowboys tanked due to incompetent quarterbacking and mediocre defense. Cowboys haters along the I-95 corridor whispered that the offensive line was overrated.

Nonsense. Darren McFadden, after three straight years of averaging 3.3-3.4 yards per carry in Oakland, rushed for 1,089 yards and 4.6 yards per carry. The offensive line was great. Protecting Brandon Weeden and Joseph Randle is just a thankless task.

So the Cowboys drafted a blue-chip rookie running back and what appeared to be your basic mid-round SEC quarterback, and wouldn't you know it, both are on a path toward obliterating the record books. Surprising, award-winning seasons just seem to keep happening in Dallas for some reason.

It's because the Cowboys offensive line is one of the best in history, folks.

 

[DallasEast]

History will be the final judge but it's kinda criminal how some fans and media do not hype the offensive line as much as certain individual skilled players on the roster. Then again, that kind of tunnel vision has been around forever and permeates all sports at all levels.

 

[CATCH17]

eh...

I still like the 90's line because they were maulers and this group is more of a finesse group.

This line is much more athletic.

I'm sure the 90's guys had easier drug policies than the current players do and steroids were a bigger factor then.

 

[Direwolf63]

Too soon for final judgements.

I do disagree that this is a finesse o-line however. Just because they are athletic and can pull doesn't make them finesse. They can maul with the best of them. When Smith and Martin have their hands on you, it's over. Collins is the same way. Leary has a definite mean streak to him. Fredricks may be more finesse, but he is almost technically perfect. Free may be the weak link, but even he has a good mix of athleticism and strength.

Overall, we as fans are very lucky to have this group together.

 

[xwalker]

eh...

I still like the 90's line because they were maulers and this group is more of a finesse group.

This line is much more athletic.

I'm sure the 90's guys had easier drug policies than the current players do and steroids were a bigger factor then.

Nate said that when they implement drug testing that it was great for his career because he didn't have to compete with guys on Roids like he did at the beginning of his career.

I don't think Erik Williams or Larry Allen needed Roids.

If it was easy to get around Roid testing, then college super-roiders Danny Noonan and Tony Mandarich would have been stars in the NFL like they were in college. The "Boz" had the same issue as he was drafted the year they started testing.

 

[Titleist]

History will be the final judge but it's kinda criminal how some fans and media do not hype the offensive line as much as certain individual skilled players on the roster. Then again, that kind of tunnel vision has been around forever and permeates all sports at all levels.

All I've been hearing from fans and media is that Dak and Zeke are only good because our OLine is dominant.

 

[Eddie]

The run on OL will continue in the 2017 draft.

 

[popp1234]

"This is going to be the best offensive line in NFL history. Mark my words." - La'el Collins

 

[big dog cowboy]

Great Wall II.

 

[CATCH17]

Nate said that when they implement drug testing that it was great for his career because he didn't have to compete with guys on Roids like he did at the beginning of his career.

I don't think Erik Williams or Larry Allen needed Roids.

If it was easy to get around Roid testing, then college super-roiders Danny Noonan and Tony Mandarich would have been stars in the NFL like they were in college. The "Boz" had the same issue as he was drafted the year they started testing.

To me a lot of the 90s players looked like they were still on it.

Even today you can tell a lot of the guys in the NFL are taking them.

Everyone just microdoses now and it's out of your system within a few hours.

 

[AsthmaField]

The run on OL will continue in the 2017 draft.

Yeah, everyone is going to be drafting OL and RB's this year.

I told a Commanders board (before the season) that after seeing what Elliott is going to do in Dallas, I think the Commanders draft RB OL in the first and second round in this next draft. Maybe OL in first and RB in second or vice-versa... but I think that's what they'll do.

They all poo-poo'ed the idea but Snyder has always copied what works in Dallas.

Dallas hired Parcells, he brought in Gibbs. Dallas had success in 2014 running the ball and I knew that Danny would take an OL in round 1. Sure enough he hired Callahan and drafted Scherff in round 1 (over big cat Williams).

Should be fun to see if they do go OL/RB

 

[CATCH17]

Yeah, everyone is going to be drafting OL and RB's this year.

I told a Commanders board (before the season) that after seeing what Elliott is going to do in Dallas, I think the Commanders draft RB OL in the first and second round in this next draft. Maybe OL in first and RB in second or vice-versa... but I think that's what they'll do.

They all poo-poo'ed the idea but Snyder has always copied what works in Dallas.

Dallas hired Parcells, he brought in Gibbs. Dallas had success in 2014 running the ball and I knew that Danny would take an OL in round 1. Sure enough he hired Callahan and drafted Scherff in round 1 (over big cat Williams).

Should be fun to see if they do go OL/RB

I'm hoping a lot of teams try to copy us and we see a bunch of reaches for OL and RBs.

 

[JD_KaPow]

Teams have been stressing the OL for a while, even before we built ours. Remember in 2013, we traded down and took Fred in large part because Cooper and Warmack went top 10, which was pretty unheard of for guards in recent years. Six OL players went in the first 11 that year.

 

[AsthmaField]

I'm hoping a lot of teams try to copy us and we see a bunch of reaches for OL and RBs.

I think we will see it... but you're exactly right. Dallas didn't just spend 3 first round picks on OL and 1 on RB... they hit on all-pro caliber players with each one.

Not only that but each one of those 4 are extremely physical players and mesh well with the Dallas philosophy of being the most physical team in the league.

All four are extremely smart players too... particularly Frederick, where smarts is so important at center.

A lot of teams will miss on that.

 

[xwalker]

To me a lot of the 90s players looked like they were still on it.

Even today you can tell a lot of the guys in the NFL are taking them.

Everyone just microdoses now and it's out of your system within a few hours.

IMO if they are it does not compare to the hey day of Roids usage in the seventies and early eighties. Back then a guy benching 300 could be benching 500 in a few weeks. I think if they are using now, it's more like a guy benching 450 can now bench 500.

 

[xwalker]

Yeah, everyone is going to be drafting OL and RB's this year.

I told a Commanders board (before the season) that after seeing what Elliott is going to do in Dallas, I think the Commanders draft RB OL in the first and second round in this next draft. Maybe OL in first and RB in second or vice-versa... but I think that's what they'll do.

They all poo-poo'ed the idea but Snyder has always copied what works in Dallas.

Dallas hired Parcells, he brought in Gibbs. Dallas had success in 2014 running the ball and I knew that Danny would take an OL in round 1. Sure enough he hired Callahan and drafted Scherff in round 1 (over big cat Williams).

Should be fun to see if they do go OL/RB

Yes, the fact that they have Callahan concerns me. He knows both how to implement a great scheme as well as how to pick good players in the draft.

 

[thunderpimp91]

I'm hoping a lot of teams try to copy us and we see a bunch of reaches for OL and RBs.

No doubt teams will do just that, and i'm fine with it. Let the front 7 players slide throughout the draft.

Most teams try to copy the blueprint of successful teams, but the truth is more often than not by the time you're copying you're too late. The league is always shifting, and soon some teams will start to go away from nickel packages & smaller LBs who can cover back to bigger DL and LBs who can plug the running lanes. The Cowboys were finally ahead of the curve in building a running game in a "passing league" and that is why they are winning.

 

[JD_KaPow]

No doubt teams will do just that, and i'm fine with it. Let the front 7 players slide throughout the draft.

Most teams try to copy the blueprint of successful teams, but the truth is more often than not by the time you're copying you're too late. The league is always shifting, and soon some teams will start to go away from nickel packages & smaller LBs who can cover back to bigger DL and LBs who can plug the running lanes. The Cowboys were finally ahead of the curve in building a running game in a "passing league" and that is why they are winning.

A great OL never goes out of style.

The issue is that teams may start chasing OL players, but all that means is that the same guys get drafted earlier. It's still the same set of players who will be playing OL in the NFL: the overall talent level doesn't go up.

 

[DallasEast]

All I've been hearing from fans and media is that Dak and Zeke are only good because our OLine is dominant.

Well, fans make up CowboysZone membership. Fans here broach a number of topics daily. Fans have been creating threads and posts concerning Prescott and Elliott constantly. In my opinion, a number of those threads and posts have commented about the importance of either player without mentioning the contributions of their offensive line. This is just one of the things I have heard or read from fans. Additionally, in regards to the media from my personal experience since the season began, the vast majority of media commentary has reflected upon Prescott and Elliott's accomplishments (more about the former than the latter) with a minority of media commentary centering upon Garrett and/or his staff, the defense, problem children (e.g. McClain & Gregory), Bryant, etc., etc.

 

[windjc]

eh...

I still like the 90's line because they were maulers and this group is more of a finesse group.

This line is much more athletic.

I'm sure the 90's guys had easier drug policies than the current players do and steroids were a bigger factor then.

This line is better. They just are.