The View From My Couch: Preseason Game 2

[CCBoy]

Yep. That's it!

He's still trying to figure out how not to trip over a blade of grass...

 

[couchscout]

What did you see with Traylor? Can he stick as the the 4th TE/sometime fullback? I'm not counting on Hanna to be off PUP anytime soon

Traylor was pretty solid as an in line blocker. He's not Hanna in that regard, but he could potentially develop into that. My guess is practice squad for him at best.

How are the linebackers looking?
And as always, thanks for your effort and writings..

I truly hate evaluating LBs. Because I don't know the play call, I can guess who had what gaps, fills, and assignments, but it's just a guess. My observation is pretty much that we are fine if Lee is healthy, and we'll see a really significant drop off if he isn't.

I'm glad you asked that. The answer to me is clearly Morris. The way this scheme works, you want a back who will get you the yards you need. For the explosive plays, we have Elliott and we have our receivers like Bryant. Throwing McFadden in there is like throwing a dice that has a 1 a 3 and 6. The 6 isn't worth the occasional 1. I want to be able to consistently move the chains here.

I'm with you. To me Morris is clearly better. My guess is they keep Zeke, Morris, and Dunbar. If Jackson makes it to PS great, but it's not like he's some super special player in the making. He would be a decent backup RB, we can get those anywhere.

 

[couchscout]

As always, I enjoy the read.

For me, in regard to the McFadden question....it comes down to how is he going to be used? I personally think that McFadden should be the third down back. I think he is the best pass protector for Romo, he is right there with Elliott as the best pass catcher, if he gets in the open field he has the speed to punish people and he can run the draw effectively when we want to go that way.

So, I am looking for Elliott to get 17-20 carries per game and maybe 3-4 passes. Morris to get 5-8 touches a game, mainly running. McFadden to get 4-5 passes and a few carries. Basically, I think it is McFadden or Dunbar, not both. Dunbar can be a playmaker but he really isn't a ball carrier. He is pretty much pass receiver only. His size limits him as a protector for Romo.

As far as Mo, I hope he does better than what you think he will. He definitely is doing better on touching the ball, something our guys rarely do. I think he will come up with some picks. I do think he is still going to get called on contact a lot. It is a very fine line for him as far as that goes. When he can be physical he stays with the receiver better but he is more likely to have a little too much contact.

Traylor got a little love from Broaddus I think it was. Saying he is advanced as a blocker....will be interesting to see if he sticks over a guy like Keith Smith.

To me Zeke is the 3rd down back. I personally don't see a role for McFadden on this team, but I wouldn't throw a fit if they decide to keep him.

 

[couchscout]

Question: I subscribe to Ourlads draft guide.
With Dak - Ourlads had him rated number 4 behind Wentz, Goff and Lynch.
But he ended up being the 8th QB taken - and in the 4th round.

Was the DWI stop a red flag and he dropped because of that?

Projecting QBs into the NFL is more of a crap shoot than it's ever been. Spread offenses have almost completely removed anything even remotely resembling NFL throws. The opinions on them vary widely. I have a magazine that has him as a priority free agent. Pretty much just gotta get these guys into your camp and see what you have.

 

[CCBoy]

couchscout, you topped well over 1600 hits...on site. Great thread, lol.

 

[xwalker]

Traylor was pretty solid as an in line blocker. He's not Hanna in that regard, but he could potentially develop into that. My guess is practice squad for him at best.

Traylor was terrific as an in-line blocker. His issue in college was when he played as a move type (H-back, pulling, TE in the backfield) blocker. He was hit or miss on finding the right defender in those situations.

The Cowboys have had good in-line blockers before in training camp that didn't make the team. They had a guy a year or two ago that we really good as an in-line blocker but appeared to struggle to play as a move type TE. I don't think he even made the PS. Back in the day they used John Phillips more than you would expect considering that MartyB was on the roster. The reason was that while MartyB was about as good as it gets as an in-line blocker, he could not function as a move type blocker because he didn't know the plays and formations well enough.

I have not really seen the Cowboy give Traylor the opportunity to function as a move type blocking TE.

 

[FuzzyLumpkins]

Exactly. When they ask the players about it, they all say it's the same thing they've been seeing in camp. Especially Dez. Mo, too, said the same thing when asked about game v. camp for Dak. He just sort of blinked and said, "no, he'll push the ball downfield in practice. That's just how he plays." That's paraphrasing, but you get the point.

Too often, we take what we hear in camp re: who's doing what and we run with it. A lot of the time, what we think we're seeing and what the coaches think aren't the same things at all. And you can bet the same thing's going on during the actual games. Jason Garrett mentioned again yesterday that Wilber does nothing but make the plays he's supposed to make, and that his teammates all respect him for it. There's not a fan in here that would read his performance that same way.

In any event, it's pretty obvious when it comes to the evaluation of a new QB. The guy can't just be suddenly hitting players in stride when the lights come on. A lot of what he's doing in games he has to have been doing all along. I buy that he's even better under the big lights, but you don't get the 2nd string snaps in the first place if you're not reading plays right and not throwing the ball where it needs to go in practice.

Broaddus has been the one parroting that narrative. Why anyone would listen to him about QBs is beyond me.