The glass is more than half full folks...

[rash]

I know the mood around here hasn't been the brightest ever since this devastating loss to Detroit; and having to wait another week thanks to the BYE in order to get this bitter taste out of our mouths doesn't help, but folks there's hope!

Folks, call it a gut feeling or whatever, but I honestly see the 2010/2011 Packers in this year's Dallas Cowboys. I know we haven't even cracked the halfway mark yet, so I won't take into offense if anybody calls me out on this, as I'm sure many think these type of predictions are frowned upon and downright silly, but I can't help but continue to type away anyway.

Look, there's no question the Cowboys have had their fair share of injuries in this first month of football...but dare I say that it could ultimately be a blessing in disguise?

Last year, the Packers were forced to play a lot of youngsters in Sam Shields, Bryan Bulaga, Jordy, and Tramon Williams due to injuries. These youngsters were forced to step in, and although each had their fair share of struggles, the learning curves were what helped give this team such success thanks to the added depth these youngsters added. These youngsters proved to take on a pivotal role in what the Pack did at the end of last season. By September, the backups that got that crucial playing time in the regular season + the starters returning from injury were able to help put together a true 53 man roster with quality players from top to bottom. Without Sam Shields and J. Bush getting the playing time early on in the season, Charles Woodson's injury in the Superbowl could have actually turned into a true disaster for Green Bay.


As for the Cowboys, injuries to Dez and Miles gave Laurent Robinson the opportunity to reincarnate his NFL career. If things hold up, we have added another weapon to our arsenal: a a slot reciever and a guy that can step in if either Dez/Miles get hurt again. At RB, a banged up Felix has given Demarco a few more touches than called for; and we all know every rep counts for a rookie.
On the defensive side, injuries at CB have given Alan Ball and Frank Walker the opportunity to play a bit more...and I must say that I am impressed with their play for the most part. At safety, although there was a noticeable difference when Gerald went down, Barry Church wasn't nearly as bad as what we had back there last season.


So far (knock on wood), none of these injuries are season ending. We know our hurt starters will return; and although the loss of them has hindered us to a certain degree for now, we may be rewarded with backups (that have gotten a taste of what its like to start) who will be eager to get back onto the field and ready when their number is called on again.






As a whole, I really like our chances.
-We have a solid coach.
-The defense is certainly the best it's been in a while (4th overall ranked D and 1st overall in rushing YPG). Thank you Rob Ryan for turning things around! The players are playing with passion...something I didn't see with Wade.
-There's no question this offense can perform among the best in the league. The real question is consistency, which I think will come as the young O-line will continue to get better week after week. We have a QB that certainly has the ability to perform like Aaron Rodgers. And we will go as far as he takes us.
I really think he has what it takes to lead us to the promise land. With this O-line proving that they can keep him upright, and the return of our starting wideouts, theres no way of telling what the limit is on this team.

I'm not going to sit here and analyze Romo's latest INTs this past week and label him a choker one week prior to his decent outing with a cracked rib/punctured lung. There's no question that he has the ability. And I don't care if he has another one of these meltdowns. I have faith in his ability. I have faith in this offense's ability: the wide outs (including a suprising Laurent Robinson), Witten, Felix (who by the way isn't just a scat back), and this young and improving O-line. I have faith in Rob Ryan and this high flying defense. I love how he has no fear and plays to win the game on defense. I love that we have the best pass rusher in the NFL. I love how our secondary has improved from last year. I love Sean Lee's emergence.

Looking forward, there's 12 games left. And we're sitting at 2-2. But we've got a very good/fearless defense, a great offensive cast that will only get better, and a top QB. Sounds a lot like the Packers of last year...and quite frankly there's no reason why we can't do the same.

I don't care if anyone reads any of this. Just felt like typing away after not posing for a while. I just have this gut feeling that this team will win the big one this year.

We've got a better shot at #6 than you guys might think folks!

 

[Greatestalltime]

Excellent post. It's nice to see some more positive confident people on here. I watched the espn special catching hell about Bartman and the whiny Cubs fans and it reminded me of ALOT of the posters on here. The negativity of the Cubs fans spreads to the players. If you catch it listen to Moises Alou talk about how he knew they were going to lose game 7 after blowing the lead.

 

[CowboyMcCoy]

Good post. Insightful thinking, unlike most posts I see on here.

 

[CowboysPhan]

Great post! You echo my own thoughts and feelings on the matter quite closely. I posted in another thread that I was at the Detroit game and when it was over, even though I was extremely disappointed that we lost, I was nowhere near as depressed as most, or as I would have been last year. I just can't help but feel excited watching this team play this year! So many young players out there making plays, and all of them are going to just keep getting better! I didn't expect us to look anywhere near this good this early in the season, and I suspect that anyone who was honest didn't either. I thought the defense would begin playing well somewhere around early November, not in September! And the way we dominated a really good Lions team most of the day tells me we can beat pretty much anyone if we set our minds to it. Tony will not have this happen every game, folks! Some people act like he does this constantly, but he only does it every once in a while, maybe once or twice a season. He's done it twice now, I suspect we'll go pretty much the rest of the year with him playing clean. He may drop one more bomb, but I don't see this as a constant problem. We're going to win a lot of games this year, folks! Bank it!
:starspin

 

[BIGDen]

Great post. Can't disagree with anything you've said. We all feel robbed and pissed because of 2 unbelievable 4th quarter collapses, so it's hard to feel really positive right now. However, if this team keeps showing some of the great stuff it has shown thus far, and the OL continues to improve, we can have a great season. Going into this season, most people felt that this secondary was a major liability and that it would take until after the bye to start playing good defense in a new system. Our D has started off great and should continue to be a top D all year. Our offense, despite being very banged up, has been impressive. Romo has played quite a bit of great football thus far but it's all been overshadowed by those mistakes (understandably).

People can spew the "you are what your record says you are" stuff all they want but I don't buy that for one second. We've played good teams and have only been beaten by the Cowboys. We have a top 10 offense and defense despite learning a new D and having significant injuries on offense. Our QB has made some terrible decisions, but he has also been heroic in our wins. He was excellent in the 2 losses too - until the surreal endings. I'm sorry but I'll take this 2-2 team over many of the 3 or 4 win teams in the league. Does anyone really feel that the undefeated Lions were the better team last Sunday? Our team is balanced with a very good offense and defense. We could use a better running game but that has shown flashes. If our biggest concern is that we'll blow massive leads in 4th quarters I'd say we're in pretty good shape. As I've said in other threads - 2-2 becomes 5-3 becomes 11-5 (like 2009). Barring major injuries, or more record-breaking collapses (unlikely), that record is very conceivable.

 

[landroverking]

Great post. A lot of well thought out thoughts.

 

[JoeCorrado]

Thanks for posting. I share your confidence and can see that this team has the potential to do great things.

Most of our success or otherwise will be directly attributed to the offensive line. If they keep Romo upright and he has the opportunity, he is fully capable of dismantling any defense that we will face. I have no doubt about that. All he needs is time and targets.

We are still weak in the run game, and the depth at WR is still thin considering O-tree's disappointments. Our O-Line has shown itself to be capable of creating some holes, but we still are unable to muscle anybody out of the way down near the goal line. That must improve.

The defense is exciting for me. They will continue to improve as we move forward. Ryan has taken basically the same players from last season, and worked some real magic. The results have been impressive.

Injuries may have helped us in uncovering some quality players who we can have confidence in, but we really need to stay healthy for the long stretch. The schedule appears to be in our favor, but only if we remain healthy. Especially at the safety position.

Garrett must do his part in managing the games, and especially his offense. If he intends to remain as HC and continue as OC as well, then he must understand that he has to trust the defense to hold a lead when we have it, and that Romo will always play full ahead unless he reigns him in. The Detroit game revealed as much about Garrett's own weaknesses in game management as anything else. With that kind of a lead; Run, the ball, run out the clock, no need to try running up the score.

If Romo and Garrett can get their heads right in the game management area, AND we can get our run game geared up~ we are sitting pretty. But we MUST be able to consistently RUN the ball. Garret's apparent lack of confidence in that area, is frightening.

By the end of the season, if they can stay healthy and playing as a unit, I believe that our O-Line will be seen as a real strength for our team. If that holds true- then we will have made the playoffs- if not then we will be lamenting another lost season. It all starts with the O-Line and passes right through Garrett's head, and hopefully not by necessity Romo's arm.

 

[Hostile]

Half full, or half empty means pretty much the same thing if you think about it. We need a refill.

Great post.

 

[shockandroll]

Nice post and I agree with you. The so called experts had the Cowboys anywhere from 6-10 to 10-6 this year, I don't think I heard a single one say better then that. Many claimed we're rebuilding. I personally thought 10-6 with a chance to be a little better or a little worse based on health and how the new oline performed.

We're 2-2, outplayed both teams in the 2 losses but dumb mistakes cost the games. Have had a lot of key injuries and are now getting healthy. I figured we had a shot against the Jets but figured that might be a loss, same for the Lions. We're right where I was expecting record wise. If we had been healthy, we'd be 3-1 right now, no doubt in my mind.

I won't predict how we finish, we're still a work in progress and health plays a huge roll in that. What I will say is we are a better team then last year, our defense is on the right track. The oline is looking like it will be very good for many years. I love our coaching staff.

I think we have a great shot to win the division. The Giants are beating crappy teams and have a tougher schedule ahead. The iggles will not get things turned around, they are not a fluke, we all expected Vick to regress and battle injuries and they have a ton of holes. The Skins are in the same boat as the Giants.

If our defense can knock Brady around, we have a great chance to beat them. No matter what, I feel great about the direction the team is headed.

 

[LeonDixson]

I share the optimism and also the observations that have already been made about areas that we need to get better in. Our future short-term and long-term looks really bright. I just have to believe we won't have the same collapses we had in the two games we lost.

I'm looking forward to beating Detroit in our 1st playoff game, Green Bay in the NFC Championship game, and the Jets in the Super Bowl

Revenge is sweet!

 

[BIGDen]

I'm looking forward to beating Detroit in our 1st playoff game, Green Bay in the NFC Championship game, and the Jets in the Super Bowl

Revenge is sweet!

Dude, that would be so.....awesome.

 

[rash]

Glad many share the same optimism that I feel. Screw these analysts on BSPN that jump off and on the Romo bandwagon based off of one performance. I know he has the ability. We know he has the ability. And with the team in place, the sky is the limit.

I for one am not worried about the New England game. I think our offense can do as much damage as theirs can. It will be a good test for our defense, but I want challenges like this. The offense MUST take care of the ball. You can't afford to give Brady any more time on the field. I like our chances folks.

I think we win, but even if we do end up losing, please don't think its the end. It is a game vs an AFC opponent and we still have 5 games against divisional opponents that really will do most of the determining of who ends up where.

 

[Nexx]

here's my problem with the current situation. ive never been a fan of jason garrett's play calling and especially in the redzone. love him as a leader and a head coach but i could careless for his play calling in general. unless jason improves his situational play calling then im not sure if this team can get to the next level offensively. would love for miami to release sparano and hire him back as offensive coordinator.

<----- waits to get ripped by Hos, lol.

 

[shockandroll]

here's my problem with the current situation. ive never been a fan of jason garrett's play calling and especially in the redzone. love him as a leader and a head coach but i could careless for his play calling in general. unless jason improves his situational play calling then im not sure if this team can get to the next level offensively. would love for miami to release sparano and hire him back as offensive coordinator.

<----- waits to get ripped by Hos, lol.

No comment on Sparano but I would like JG to hire an OC as well. We're not usually very good in the red zone after moving it easily between the 20's. Some of that has to be on Garrett, imo.

 

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

I share the optimism and also the observations that have already been made about areas that we need to get better in. Our future short-term and long-term looks really bright. I just have to believe we won't have the same collapses we had in the two games we lost.

I'm looking forward to beating Detroit in our 1st playoff game, Green Bay in the NFC Championship game, and the Jets in the Super Bowl

Revenge is sweet!

I'd rather beat the team we're gonna play next week in the superbowl. Think about it just imagine if Romo were to beat Tom Brady in the SB. It would be much better beating a first ballot hall of famer like Brady than a mediocre QB like Sanchez.

 

[Eskimo]

here's my problem with the current situation. ive never been a fan of jason garrett's play calling and especially in the redzone. love him as a leader and a head coach but i could careless for his play calling in general. unless jason improves his situational play calling then im not sure if this team can get to the next level offensively. would love for miami to release sparano and hire him back as offensive coordinator.

<----- waits to get ripped by Hos, lol.

Garrett's non-red zone play calling is actually stellar, IMO.

His red zone play calling is mostly the inability to run the ball at the goalline and some problem Romo has executing fade throws to Dez/Bennett.

I do agree he should hire himself an OC so he doesn't have to be as involved in the nitty-gritty on that side of the ball and focus more of his time on the big picture. He could still keep the playcalling duties. It might be good to have an OC to bounce ideas off and vice-versa.

 

[cowboyeric8]

Garrett's non-red zone play calling is actually stellar, IMO.

His red zone play calling is mostly the inability to run the ball at the goalline and some problem Romo has executing fade throws to Dez/Bennett.

I do agree he should hire himself an OC so he doesn't have to be as involved in the nitty-gritty on that side of the ball and focus more of his time on the big picture. He could still keep the playcalling duties. It might be good to have an OC to bounce ideas off and vice-versa.

I completely agree with this. And I don't think Jason is doing a bad job. It would definitely have to be someone he is comfortable with.

 

[supafly]

I think the cowboys are better than the packers even. No way would I trade Romo for Rodgers straight up. They were just lucky to win it all first.

 

[Eskimo]

I think the cowboys are better than the packers even. No way would I trade Romo for Rodgers straight up. They were just lucky to win it all first.

I think Rodgers is a bit better mostly because he is more durable and is good at picking up first downs running when things break down - this really helps him sustain drives.

I am not convinced we are better than the Packers right now. Their offense is tremendous but their defense has struggled somewhat this year but I could see them turning it around there, too.

I do think that GB and Dallas will probably be the two best teams in the NFC at the end of the year.

 

[CCBoy]

I think Rodgers is a bit better mostly because he is more durable and is good at picking up first downs running when things break down - this really helps him sustain drives.

I am not convinced we are better than the Packers right now. Their offense is tremendous but their defense has struggled somewhat this year but I could see them turning it around there, too.

I do think that GB and Dallas will probably be the two best teams in the NFC at the end of the year.

I can't wait to hear Terry Bradshaw tell the world how mightily these Cowboys have crumbled. And then hear a Strahan smack his lips in agreement...only to have to watch the Cowboys defeat New England by a score of 38 - 28. Then I'll pay close attention to his lip quivers the very next week.