jday
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As we wade through what seems to be a constant stream of negative outlooks for our beloved Cowboys it can be difficult to maintain an objective and realistic view. As a fan, it is our job to love our team heart and soul and support them through the good and the bad. Maybe “job” is being a bit heavy-handed…it suggest responsibility, when in truth it is more a labor of love. “Function” is a better word; it’s simply what we do. Many of us would love the flexibility to switch allegiance as needed to support a winner, but, alas, it is not in our mental make-up to do so.
The media, on the other hand, has a completely different agenda. The media’s job is to report news when the news is there and sensationalize pseudo-news when there is nothing to report (especially at this time of year) to sale magazines, papers, commercial air time, and online subscriptions. It’s what they do. So as much as we as a fanbase would like to move on from certain topics, the media will not allow us to forget about the backup QB situation, the suspensions on defense, the (perceived) lack of concerted effort on the front offices part to address those glaring issues in the offseason and what this team was in 2015 as compared to what we want it to be in 2016.
The fascinating aspect of all this is that if you have adopted a narrow view of the NFL (keeping a laser focus on your team and your team alone, like me) you may overlook the fact that every team (potential contender or not) has issues…some more glaring then our Cowboys. Suspensions have occurred across the league (though, not quite on the same level as it has happened on the Cowboys defense). Of course, the Cowboys being the Cowboys, their issues will find the press and, by extension, the light of day quicker than you can find the back of your eyelids, but that shouldn’t suggest that the Cowboys are the only team with hurdles and obstacles to navigate through.
For instance, there aren’t 32 starting caliber QB’s in the league, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Cowboys have struggled to find an adequate backup. That is not to suggest that no team has the luxury of both a starting caliber QB and a backup capable of winning games in said starters absence; but those same team’s, I can guarantee you, aren’t completely satisfied with their roster from top to bottom…they too have had to take shortcuts to ensure that backup is in place. The nature of the capped NFL is that front offices have to gamble on certain positions…that is just the way it is, like it or not. The other consideration on that is teams simultaneously are handcuffed to what is available in Free Agency and theDraft, and field their own competition with opposing front offices to acquire the service of talent. Therefore, it is not necessarily the Cowboys design to stand-pat with what they have, but moreso the circumstances they have been dealt.
But before writing off the Cowboys season, should you assume Romo is a sack away from injury, the first thing I’d like our fanbase to do, is consider who they have been listening to when it comes to Dak Prescott. Across the blogging nation, the split is somewhere around 60/40, with the majority telling anyone who will listen that Dak Prescott is not the answer today, nor will he be two seasons from now; to the tune of chest-pounding they proclaim Dak is not the guy to carry the torch when Romo hangs up his cleats.
They may be right; but let’s be clear on something here – the majority of the people saying that are simply playing the odds…they have never actually taken a snap under a center, evaluated NFL QB talent for a living and wouldn’t know an NFL caliber QB if they got belted in the face with a football by one from 200 yards out…near-sighted or not. Truth be told, I fall under that category, so I won’t speak to his NFL ability (which for what it’s worth, I like his potential). What I will speak to is his on-screen character and attitude (noticed I said “on-screen” which is to say I don’t know him personally / I only know him based on what I’ve read, seen in interviews and Gruden’s QB Camp). In short, if QB’s were drafted on character and attitude alone, he would likely have been drafted in the first round. He’s a winner, admittedly, in the same vein that you would call Tim Tebow a winner. He might win ugly at times, but he will absolutely give you everything he has to get that win. That is a quality you cannot coach; you either have it or you don’t. So in the words of the wise and iconic Bill Murray, “(He’s) got that going for (him)…which is nice!”
These same people, who like to throw their weight around on blogs and grandstand with their top-notch couch-scout expertise, will also tell you the Cowboys defense is garbage. Once again, they are playing the odds. Their expert opinion is dependent on one thing – the defense is devoid of names. That is what they are hanging their hat on. Trouble with that is it’s hard to argue against. They are right – not a lot of “names” on that side of the ball.
But here’s the deal: This ain’t basketball we are talking about. Super Star names are not a requirement to be successful in this league. That is what separates football from any other sport – the cliché Any Given Sunday. So, we might not see the same guy generate pressure play after play, week in and week out. That’s what you generally expect from a “name.” I won’t lie – that is nice to have. But it’s not ideal. Ideally, you’re bringing that pressure from everywhere. Why? Because an offense can take one guy on the line away; but they can’t take everyone away. A QB at the line will call adjustments at the line every play to address 1 guy; there is no such adjustment for all 4 or more guy’s coming from different angles. There simply isn’t.
So again, it’s nice to have the Hardy’s of the world to occupy a couple of blocks to give the other guy’s one on one battles to beat, but either way (with a Hardy or not), those one on one battles are still going to be there and I expect guy’s like Irving, Lawrence, Ryan, etc. to win their fair share, regardless of who is lined up across from them. This line is stocked better for Marinelli than it ever has been since donning a Dallas Cowboys hat on the sideline. Based on what is there, the philosophy is clear – Marinelli wants guys who, above all, have the requisite physical make-up and ability to do the job because that really can’t be coached at this level. What he can coach is technique, and once again based on what I’ve read and seen, every rushmen on that line has a chip on their shoulder to prove they are better than what the football watching world has already decided about them; so I fully believe the focus to learn and grow is there. Of course, saying that is one thing. To engender belief beyond that, the world is going to have to see it…a small dose of which we start seeing tomorrow…
Thoughts?
The media, on the other hand, has a completely different agenda. The media’s job is to report news when the news is there and sensationalize pseudo-news when there is nothing to report (especially at this time of year) to sale magazines, papers, commercial air time, and online subscriptions. It’s what they do. So as much as we as a fanbase would like to move on from certain topics, the media will not allow us to forget about the backup QB situation, the suspensions on defense, the (perceived) lack of concerted effort on the front offices part to address those glaring issues in the offseason and what this team was in 2015 as compared to what we want it to be in 2016.
The fascinating aspect of all this is that if you have adopted a narrow view of the NFL (keeping a laser focus on your team and your team alone, like me) you may overlook the fact that every team (potential contender or not) has issues…some more glaring then our Cowboys. Suspensions have occurred across the league (though, not quite on the same level as it has happened on the Cowboys defense). Of course, the Cowboys being the Cowboys, their issues will find the press and, by extension, the light of day quicker than you can find the back of your eyelids, but that shouldn’t suggest that the Cowboys are the only team with hurdles and obstacles to navigate through.
For instance, there aren’t 32 starting caliber QB’s in the league, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Cowboys have struggled to find an adequate backup. That is not to suggest that no team has the luxury of both a starting caliber QB and a backup capable of winning games in said starters absence; but those same team’s, I can guarantee you, aren’t completely satisfied with their roster from top to bottom…they too have had to take shortcuts to ensure that backup is in place. The nature of the capped NFL is that front offices have to gamble on certain positions…that is just the way it is, like it or not. The other consideration on that is teams simultaneously are handcuffed to what is available in Free Agency and theDraft, and field their own competition with opposing front offices to acquire the service of talent. Therefore, it is not necessarily the Cowboys design to stand-pat with what they have, but moreso the circumstances they have been dealt.
But before writing off the Cowboys season, should you assume Romo is a sack away from injury, the first thing I’d like our fanbase to do, is consider who they have been listening to when it comes to Dak Prescott. Across the blogging nation, the split is somewhere around 60/40, with the majority telling anyone who will listen that Dak Prescott is not the answer today, nor will he be two seasons from now; to the tune of chest-pounding they proclaim Dak is not the guy to carry the torch when Romo hangs up his cleats.
They may be right; but let’s be clear on something here – the majority of the people saying that are simply playing the odds…they have never actually taken a snap under a center, evaluated NFL QB talent for a living and wouldn’t know an NFL caliber QB if they got belted in the face with a football by one from 200 yards out…near-sighted or not. Truth be told, I fall under that category, so I won’t speak to his NFL ability (which for what it’s worth, I like his potential). What I will speak to is his on-screen character and attitude (noticed I said “on-screen” which is to say I don’t know him personally / I only know him based on what I’ve read, seen in interviews and Gruden’s QB Camp). In short, if QB’s were drafted on character and attitude alone, he would likely have been drafted in the first round. He’s a winner, admittedly, in the same vein that you would call Tim Tebow a winner. He might win ugly at times, but he will absolutely give you everything he has to get that win. That is a quality you cannot coach; you either have it or you don’t. So in the words of the wise and iconic Bill Murray, “(He’s) got that going for (him)…which is nice!”
These same people, who like to throw their weight around on blogs and grandstand with their top-notch couch-scout expertise, will also tell you the Cowboys defense is garbage. Once again, they are playing the odds. Their expert opinion is dependent on one thing – the defense is devoid of names. That is what they are hanging their hat on. Trouble with that is it’s hard to argue against. They are right – not a lot of “names” on that side of the ball.
But here’s the deal: This ain’t basketball we are talking about. Super Star names are not a requirement to be successful in this league. That is what separates football from any other sport – the cliché Any Given Sunday. So, we might not see the same guy generate pressure play after play, week in and week out. That’s what you generally expect from a “name.” I won’t lie – that is nice to have. But it’s not ideal. Ideally, you’re bringing that pressure from everywhere. Why? Because an offense can take one guy on the line away; but they can’t take everyone away. A QB at the line will call adjustments at the line every play to address 1 guy; there is no such adjustment for all 4 or more guy’s coming from different angles. There simply isn’t.
So again, it’s nice to have the Hardy’s of the world to occupy a couple of blocks to give the other guy’s one on one battles to beat, but either way (with a Hardy or not), those one on one battles are still going to be there and I expect guy’s like Irving, Lawrence, Ryan, etc. to win their fair share, regardless of who is lined up across from them. This line is stocked better for Marinelli than it ever has been since donning a Dallas Cowboys hat on the sideline. Based on what is there, the philosophy is clear – Marinelli wants guys who, above all, have the requisite physical make-up and ability to do the job because that really can’t be coached at this level. What he can coach is technique, and once again based on what I’ve read and seen, every rushmen on that line has a chip on their shoulder to prove they are better than what the football watching world has already decided about them; so I fully believe the focus to learn and grow is there. Of course, saying that is one thing. To engender belief beyond that, the world is going to have to see it…a small dose of which we start seeing tomorrow…
Thoughts?
