The reason we did not draft a RB,

[jnday]

Jones, Gregory, Lee. And whatever comes of the other draft picks. Plus Hardy, who's a top-5 pass rusher at our biggest position of need, since we're really not just talking opening weekend here.

On paper, we're much improved in terms of personnel.

I expected this very answer. Lee coming back is good, but injuries will limit the games he plays. Hardy is an improvement, but it is possible that he won't play for half of the season. Now that leaves the rookies. It is rare for a rookie to make much of an impact and it is not wise to depend on them. I see a much improved defense in a couple years if these rookies pan out. I don't see a defense that improved so much the offense don't have to protect it anymore. Not this year. That makes missing out on a tough, physical RB hurt much more. There is not the physical RB that can grind defense's down and make no mistake,one is needed to keep the Cowboy defense off the field.

 

[Idgit]

I expected this very answer. Lee coming back is good, but injuries will limit the games he plays. Hardy is an improvement, but it is possible that he won't play for half of the season. Now that leaves the rookies. It is rare for a rookie to make much of an impact and it is not wise to depend on them. I see a much improved defense in a couple years if these rookies pan out. I don't see a defense that improved so much the offense don't have to protect it anymore. Not this year. That makes missing out on a tough, physical RB hurt much more. There is not the physical RB that can grind defense's down and make no mistake,one is needed to keep the Cowboy defense off the field.

Well, it's the obvious answer, because we've had really bad talent on defense for a while now. We'll see how long Hardy ends up being out. If it's really 10 games, that's obviously a huge hit.

Playing Gregory in pass rush situations is going to be a significant upgrade to the amount of pressure we can generate, no matter how we cut it. He might not be a full time player this year, but he's got too much talent to think it'll be buried for a year or two. We're talking a very low hurdle if we're comparing the performance to last season.

Jones, I think he primarily helps us in that he's going to let us play coverage packages with him at free safety that we haven't played previously because we didn't have the rangy cover guy. And he gives us a bit of size against teams with multiple big WRs. He's a player I agree is going to need time to really grow into the player he can become.

With Lee and McClain in the lineup, I think we'll see a lot more of the defense like we saw the first six weeks of the season before Durant went out. Having coverage linebackers who can drop to cover the quick developing routes and let our CBs play press while we get pressure from our front. That's a luxury compared to what we've seen too much of the last few years. If Lawrence really does improve, and if Hardy plays at his usual level with a diminished suspension, I honestly don't think there's any way we're not significantly better. We might not be top 10 yet, but we don't have to be in order to really improve significantly.

And I think we end up better offensively, too. Teams are still going to defend our running game, and we're going to still convert well on 3rd downs with the weapons we have in the passing game. Even if it means (shudder) passing more in some of those third down situations.

 

[jnday]

Well, it's the obvious answer, because we've had really bad talent on defense for a while now. We'll see how long Hardy ends up being out. If it's really 10 games, that's obviously a huge hit.

Playing Gregory in pass rush situations is going to be a significant upgrade to the amount of pressure we can generate, no matter how we cut it. He might not be a full time player this year, but he's got too much talent to think it'll be buried for a year or two. We're talking a very low hurdle if we're comparing the performance to last season.

Jones, I think he primarily helps us in that he's going to let us play coverage packages with him at free safety that we haven't played previously because we didn't have the rangy cover guy. And he gives us a bit of size against teams with multiple big WRs. He's a player I agree is going to need time to really grow into the player he can become.

With Lee and McClain in the lineup, I think we'll see a lot more of the defense like we saw the first six weeks of the season before Durant went out. Having coverage linebackers who can drop to cover the quick developing routes and let our CBs play press while we get pressure from our front. That's a luxury compared to what we've seen too much of the last few years. If Lawrence really does improve, and if Hardy plays at his usual level with a diminished suspension, I honestly don't think there's any way we're not significantly better. We might not be top 10 yet, but we don't have to be in order to really improve significantly.

And I think we end up better offensively, too. Teams are still going to defend our running game, and we're going to still convert well on 3rd downs with the weapons we have in the passing game. Even if it means (shudder) passing more in some of those third down situations.

The defense will improve, but it will take a while. I don't consider Lee to be a factor for an entire season. He can get injured at any time. The difference in the team last year was the running game. The defense got better by not being on the field . That was the biggest factor because the players were much the same as the year before. Dallas has managed to take it's biggest strength and weaken it. I didn't care for Murray, but he was a good well rounded RB. Murray as set the tone of the offense with his physical runs. By the second half, defenses had had their fill of Murray and it was a big factor. By the 4th quarter, defenses just wanted off the field. They had been physically been beat up. There is no RB to replace that. Let's be honest and admit that the RBs on the roster consists if two busts that have injury histories. That leaves Randle. As much as I hate to say it, he is the most dependable RB on the roster when not in police custody. Dunbar is not worth discussing, so that is it. This team could easily be looking for RBs off the street after the first few games if they have a little bad luck. Going from a very good running game to an average one is going to cost games. The running game was responsible for the jump from 8-8 and it was a surprise jump at that. Weaken it and a return to 8-8 seasons is very possible. I am not going to panic about it, but it is a concern .

 

[ConstantReboot]

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

Ummmm we ran the ball because Garrett wanted it to be part of the offense. Before we got Linehan Garrett told him that we have to run the ball if he comes here. Linehan obliged and implemented the run plays which Callahan had in place. It was never about protecting the defense. It was all about Garrett wanting to run the ball like what they used to do in the 90s.

 

[ConstantReboot]

The defense will improve, but it will take a while. I don't consider Lee to be a factor for an entire season. He can get injured at any time. The difference in the team last year was the running game. The defense got better by not being on the field . That was the biggest factor because the players were much the same as the year before. Dallas has managed to take it's biggest strength and weaken it. I didn't care for Murray, but he was a good well rounded RB. Murray as set the tone of the offense with his physical runs. By the second half, defenses had had their fill of Murray and it was a big factor. By the 4th quarter, defenses just wanted off the field. They had been physically been beat up. There is no RB to replace that. Let's be honest and admit that the RBs on the roster consists if two busts that have injury histories. That leaves Randle. As much as I hate to say it, he is the most dependable RB on the roster when not in police custody. Dunbar is not worth discussing, so that is it. This team could easily be looking for RBs off the street after the first few games if they have a little bad luck. Going from a very good running game to an average one is going to cost games. The running game was responsible for the jump from 8-8 and it was a surprise jump at that. Weaken it and a return to 8-8 seasons is very possible. I am not going to panic about it, but it is a concern .

Well stated. The run game right now is a concern. I really do not trust the runningbacks that we got now. Whether it be production or staying healthy, we should not even consider going into the season like this.

The problem is easy to solve and we can still get a few good runningbacks off the streets. If we don't do something now and when the group we have doesn't perform up to par, I doubt Jerry and Co. will do anything. They would rather pretend that its not a problem and we can make due with Randle and Dunbar, rather than admit they were wrong. Its like the ordeal with Costa all over again.

All I'm asking is sign some dependable runningbacks off the streets and bring in more to compete. Relying solely on what we have now is simply foolish and we can do better than what we have.

 

[Silver N Blue]

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

So you want to go back and put everything back on Romo...yeah that worked wonderful...

 

[gmoney112]

The defense will improve, but it will take a while. I don't consider Lee to be a factor for an entire season. He can get injured at any time. The difference in the team last year was the running game. The defense got better by not being on the field . That was the biggest factor because the players were much the same as the year before. Dallas has managed to take it's biggest strength and weaken it. I didn't care for Murray, but he was a good well rounded RB. Murray as set the tone of the offense with his physical runs. By the second half, defenses had had their fill of Murray and it was a big factor. By the 4th quarter, defenses just wanted off the field. They had been physically been beat up. There is no RB to replace that. Let's be honest and admit that the RBs on the roster consists if two busts that have injury histories. That leaves Randle. As much as I hate to say it, he is the most dependable RB on the roster when not in police custody. Dunbar is not worth discussing, so that is it. This team could easily be looking for RBs off the street after the first few games if they have a little bad luck. Going from a very good running game to an average one is going to cost games. The running game was responsible for the jump from 8-8 and it was a surprise jump at that. Weaken it and a return to 8-8 seasons is very possible. I am not going to panic about it, but it is a concern .

Actually, that's the biggest fallacy that keeps being repeated on this forum, over and over and over again.

The defense was better statistically in every major category on a Per Drive basis than the year before. In some aspects, much better.

Sure the defense benefited from the *offense* being more efficient (not just the running game). But the statistics are what they are, the defense played much better as a whole, not because Murray got carries.

And the offense converted 3rd downs at a incredibly efficient pace regardless of the down/distance, which has much more to do with playcalling than it does with Murray's influence.

And the defenses were beat up because our OL beat them up, not because Murray singlehandedly ran over 300 pound defensive linemanl. Can we please get real? The only influence Murray had on a defense's front 7 was them getting tired from chasing him, our big uglies did the hard work. Unless I missed Murray blocking for himself, I don't see at any point where he "beat them up" by himself. Haha, seriously.

Our defense is going to be much better, and our offense has to replace a 4.7 ypc average. May not replace that, but 30 RB's had a 3.9 ypc or higher, and some of those played for terrible teams. I don't think a 4.2-4.3 is out of the question.

And the only way we go 8-8 this year is if Romo ends up in a bodybag. To think otherwise is pigeonholing yourself completely in this ideal because you're too stubborn to think otherwise. There are cuts to come for RB's, and even with our current stable I'd put a 4 figure donation to CZ on the line we don't end up 8-8 with Romo healthy. Period.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Exactly how is this defense improved

The defense will improve

 

[CowboyRoy]

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

I have to agree with some others here. I completely disagree with your post. The Cowboys seem to get tunnel vision at times and cant see the forest through the trees. By not taking a RB in the first three rounds, they proved once again how short sighted they are. I love all the defensive picks, but if they really wanted to win a championship this year, then a talented running back would been nice. They are kidding themselves if they think McFadden is gong to run for 1500 yards.

 

[CowboyRoy]

Actually, that's the biggest fallacy that keeps being repeated on this forum, over and over and over again.

The defense was better statistically in every major category on a Per Drive basis than the year before. In some aspects, much better.

Sure the defense benefited from the *offense* being more efficient (not just the running game). But the statistics are what they are, the defense played much better as a whole, not because Murray got carries.

And the offense converted 3rd downs at a incredibly efficient pace regardless of the down/distance, which has much more to do with playcalling than it does with Murray's influence.

And the defenses were beat up because our OL beat them up, not because Murray singlehandedly ran over 300 pound defensive linemanl. Can we please get real? The only influence Murray had on a defense's front 7 was them getting tired from chasing him, our big uglies did the hard work. Unless I missed Murray blocking for himself, I don't see at any point where he "beat them up" by himself. Haha, seriously.

Our defense is going to be much better, and our offense has to replace a 4.7 ypc average. May not replace that, but 30 RB's had a 3.9 ypc or higher, and some of those played for terrible teams. I don't think a 4.2-4.3 is out of the question.

And the only way we go 8-8 this year is if Romo ends up in a bodybag. To think otherwise is pigeonholing yourself completely in this ideal because you're too stubborn to think otherwise. There are cuts to come for RB's, and even with our current stable I'd put a 4 figure donation to CZ on the line we don't end up 8-8 with Romo healthy. Period.

No, the defense was better, but the running game had more to do with it then anything else. And the fact that it couldnt have gotten any worse. The Cowboy led in time of possession. 28 sacks? That is horrid. Under the Garrett led offense, we were 3 and out a lot more and the turnovers were up with all the pass happiness. Instead of having romo back in shotgun up by 20 points, we finally found someone that could really handle the offense once Garrett got kicked to the curb. Instead of 3 and outs and 3rd and 8, we were 3rd and 2 and running to pick it up. No more pass happy picks by Romo. We ran the ball.

 

[Bullflop]

It's hard to believe we didn't shoot ourselves in the foot by neglecting to draft a promising RB in the NFL draft. However, I believe it's entirely possible that we'll find out exactly what we have in TC before it's over. If our RB corps fails to demonstrate being reasonably capable by then, we'll very likely acquire a vet RB off waivers once the final cuts have been submitted. There'll be no shortage of veteran RBs available if the past is any indication at all.

 

[jnday]

Actually, that's the biggest fallacy that keeps being repeated on this forum, over and over and over again.

The defense was better statistically in every major category on a Per Drive basis than the year before. In some aspects, much better.

Sure the defense benefited from the *offense* being more efficient (not just the running game). But the statistics are what they are, the defense played much better as a whole, not because Murray got carries.

And the offense converted 3rd downs at a incredibly efficient pace regardless of the down/distance, which has much more to do with playcalling than it does with Murray's influence.

And the defenses were beat up because our OL beat them up, not because Murray singlehandedly ran over 300 pound defensive linemanl. Can we please get real? The only influence Murray had on a defense's front 7 was them getting tired from chasing him, our big uglies did the hard work. Unless I missed Murray blocking for himself, I don't see at any point where he "beat them up" by himself. Haha, seriously.

Our defense is going to be much better, and our offense has to replace a 4.7 ypc average. May not replace that, but 30 RB's had a 3.9 ypc or higher, and some of those played for terrible teams. I don't think a 4.2-4.3 is out of the question.

And the only way we go 8-8 this year is if Romo ends up in a bodybag. To think otherwise is pigeonholing yourself completely in this ideal because you're too stubborn to think otherwise. There are cuts to come for RB's, and even with our current stable I'd put a 4 figure donation to CZ on the line we don't end up 8-8 with Romo healthy. Period.

You don't think the defensive stats was improved because they were kept fresh ? I think it was easy to see the change from the previous year when you compare the second half of games. By the way, Richard Sherman's comments were on my mind when I was thinking about Murray. I'd he s 300lb DL? The last paragraph of your post expresses the arrogant attitude that has come after the first decent season since 2007. 12-4 can easily drop to 8-8 or worse due to a less effective running game. The same running game that made a big difference last season. The line may be improved this year, maybe not, but that doesn't change the fact that a good running game consists of of a good line and a good RB.

 

[Joe Realist]

Well I'm glad our new probable starter averaged 2 yards per carry MORE than Demarco behind the exact same line. And no game ending fumbles either.

Randle = Hambrick as a starter

Murray softened the defense up.

 

[maxdallasfan]

The reason we didn't draft a RB is because the Coaches believe the guys we have are going to be fine.

They obviously know a little more than us arm-chair Coaches.

 

[Rockport]

I am not arguing or debating this with anyone but rather looking at history. Both Garret and Linehan are pass first guys typically. I do not think this can be argued too much???? I think they were dictacted to run first to protect the defense last year. We lose our #1 rusher while improving the defense(on paper at least) and do not make serious attempts to replace the top rusher??? Look at the logic. Again, I am not saying I agree with this philosophy but our action are dictating this is what the team is thinking.

Garrett and Linehan have been pass first type coordinators in the past. But as all good coordinators must do, they've adapted their philosophy's to the strengths of the team which offensively is the offensive line and running the football.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

I don't agree with this. I think that we did run the ball to shorten games but I also think that we ran the ball to protect Romo's health and to protect Romo from Romo. We can't be the 50 pass attempt team and consistently win. The team has even eluded to this.

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

JC confirmed that he still intends to run the ball as much.
Hopefully we have the horses, its becoming clear that they believe we do...
seeing is believing.

 

[Bleu Star]

This may be merged but I think it deserves it's own thread. The reason we were a run first team last year was to burn clock to protect the defense. It was never about protecting Romo but rather the defense. I think they are believing we have upgraded the defense to a point where they can take care of themselves rather relying on the offense to keep them off of the field. Linehan has never been a run first OC until last year when our poor defense demanded it so why does everyone think he will keep on doing the same thing as our defense improves?


You have to look at the big picture. One year of running first does not a running team make when the OC and the HC have a history of being pass first guys.

Note: For the sake of argument, I do not completely agree with this philosophy completely but I think it is the plan.

I enjoy your commentary but you completely missed the head of the nail on this one. Regardless of what the OCs are known for, an innovative mind somewhere on that staff was finally able to implement the much needed "balance" last year on offense. When you are so close to the carrot, you don't cut one of your legs off and expect to hippity hop on three legs to reach said carrot that was clearly in sight on four good legs.

I have said it before and I will say it once more. If we go into the season with this rag tag group of RBs, Romo's window is going to get real dirty really quickly.

He has a 2 year window at best. That's it! We were so close.. All we had to do was keep the offense "as is" and build defense. Well.... we failed miserably on one and did exceptionally well in the draft to bolster the other....

One of these clowns is going to get Romo killed in blitz pickup. The thought has haunted me for several weeks now.

 

[DanTanna]

Randle = Hambrick as a starter

Murray softened the defense up.

Did Murray also soften up the defenses for Randle in college too? Same story.

 

[EMMITTnROY]

I expected this very answer. Lee coming back is good, but injuries will limit the games he plays. Hardy is an improvement, but it is possible that he won't play for half of the season. Now that leaves the rookies. It is rare for a rookie to make much of an impact and it is not wise to depend on them. I see a much improved defense in a couple years if these rookies pan out. I don't see a defense that improved so much the offense don't have to protect it anymore. Not this year. That makes missing out on a tough, physical RB hurt much more. There is not the physical RB that can grind defense's down and make no mistake,one is needed to keep the Cowboy defense off the field.

That used to be true... in 1998. Rookies across the board make an impact nowadays.