Things we are learning

[kskboys]

I was reported several times earlier this year by several different reporters. He did not want to come off the field.
and if you look at any snap counts, it shown to be true.

I do not believe it. Witten is a gamer and a team player. If he was taken out, he'd come out.

 

[CouchCoach]

I was just going by what I read. Who knows if true or not.
However, he never seemed to come off the field, by lack of plays from other TE's. About the only time was in 2 TE sets dd the others get playing time.

Not that in his Prime he should have came off the field. And this can be on the coaching staff as well.
But still the others should have been playing a bit more in these past 2 seasons.

Agree with that but Dak needed the short passing game and if he does need that as much this season, I think he's going to be running more that we've seen from him. Witten was that safety net and while he was not as good as he had been, he was better than anyone else they had.

 

[J-man]

It’s kind of amazing how they have almost completely ignored the backup QB situation for years now.

I mean even in 2016 they got LUCKY that Dak turned out to be who he is. That season they had Kellen Moore and Dak as their back-ups. Odds were that Dak as a 4th rounder wasn’t going to be able to do anything.

That being said. I do think Mike White needs to stay on the roster to continue developing.

But they SHOULD HAVE signed a competent vet back-up and let Mike White stay the #3

I'll be shocked if they don't get a a vet after cuts.

 

[CapnCook]

This off-season's biggest surprise for me has been Thomas's play at linebacker. Great pick up.

Things I am more sure of post game than I was pregame.

1) The bottom layer of the Cowboys 53 aren't on the 90.
2) I am glad Byron Jones is back at corner (for now!)

Things that I knew without the Arizona mess.

1) Still having Chaz Green on the roster provides more damning proof on how lazy/distracted this front office continues to be. (Or dare I say, "Cheap", Stephen?)
2) We have no backup QB. Jerry is talking with Jason and Stephen today about the backup QB situation. His approach has always been a veteran backup. I to believe he has deferred to the younger minds recently, but on this one, he must be very concerned.

 

[Wood]

1) Assuming there is nothing to the Gregory rumor, our defensive ends, at least the top 3, look really good. Lawrence is Lawrence. Gregory was impressive. Charlton, not his best game, but other than the offsides, he didn't do anything noteworthy in terms of dumb play. Armstrong and Tapper didn't flash much, but those guys would be counted on as 4th and 5th DEs, and I can live with that.

2) Our outside CBs are legit. Both Awuzie and Jones have upper echelon skills and pairing them with Richard might pay off big time. In the slot, Lewis played decently and the best news is I never heard Brown's name, which is a good thing since he likes to pick up penalties. Ward made a few nice plays. Overall, the starting CBs should be great and depth should be decent.

3) I thought Looney held up well. It will be a different story in two weeks going against a really good Carolina front seven, but overall, he did nothing last night that made me worry. Williams seemed to play better last night as well but then again it's tough to tell with the mismatched OL.

4) The linebackers athleticism is certainly noticeable. Smith is so quick. He had a couple of plays that I thought he overran and the RB cut back for a decent gain, but overall with him, Thomas and then adding Lee and hopefully LVE, you have four guys that can move very well at the LB spot.

5) I was big on Scarborough but as others have noted correctly, Jackson seems like the better back now. Scarborough just looks to so and deliberate when he gets the ball. Now when he gets a head of steam going, he's a tough runner but at times it looked like he had an opportunity to get 3-4 yards by plowing ahead and kind of hesitated waiting for a hole to open up and he gained zero yards.

On the flipside...........

1) We really don't have a competent backup QB. White looked better than Rush but neither is ready to be a backup in a live NFL game. We might have one of the worst QB situations in the NFL from that perspective. Last night the Cardinals had Bradford, Glennon and Rosen. That depth dwarfs ours. I wonder what QBs might hit the waiver wire?

2) Gotta admit I am getting a bit nervous on Fleming. He's looked anywhere from poor to average. I thought he was a key signing but now I worry we may still have a swing tackle issue.

3) TE is a total wasteland and this front office botched that position IMO. In an offseason where they talked about getting Prescott as much help as they could, to give him this TE grouping is pretty sad. Gathers, with all his flaws, might be the best TE of the group and there was chatter he might not even make the 53.

4) S is another screw up by the front office. They had depth issues before they even went into August camp and let many of the, at least competent, names at S in FA run out and sign very friendly deals with other teams. I watched Jeron Johnson a bit last night and he was pretty bad. But that's to be expected when you sign a guy who hasn't played football in a year. Huff looked lost. Robinson? ehhh. Frazier being hurt is a pretty big deal and frankly, he's a limited S himself. This front office seems to pride itself on not panicking but guess what? It might be time to panic a bit.

5) I still worry about our DTs holding up in the run game. Woods has played decently and Crawford looked decent last night, but I worry about his size holding up over the course of a season. And what's behind Woods at the 1 Tech is really concerning. Price looks pretty bad. Ross? Yeah, no. Getting Collins back and getting a lot of reps should help (but they may play him again at the 1 Tech). Ward? Was he hurt last night? I think it's a shame that we finally have some playmakers at DE, LB and CB but that could be undone by poor choices at DT and S.

you nailed this assessment. good job.

 

[LittleD]

Well then that just cements my belief that Garrett struggles to adapt offensively with the game, etc.

It also doesn't give me much hope that they have this super secret Dak friendly playbook that they are hiding in preseason.

You mean to say to us that it has taken you this long to figure out that the Clapper can't adapt. We knew this 3 years ago and then some.

 

[Clove]

J

You should know by now that Garrett does not value stretch the field type TEs. He likes blockers who can catch well and get the 1st down. Witten has been the mold for this team for over a decade. They are trying to find the next one but, it may take a year or so.

Why? I'm not being condescending but that formula hasn't worked so why are we looking to do the same thing? I don't remember us being in the NFC championship or the Super Bowl with Witten so why go down that road again?

 

[LittleD]

J
Why? I'm not being condescending but that formula hasn't worked so why are we looking to do the same thing? I don't remember us being in the NFC championship or the Super Bowl with Witten so why go down that road again?

Look, it worked with Witten for over a decade and that is what the Cowboys coaches on offense want from a TE. We are a run 1st team, not the patriots.

 

[Clove]

Look, it worked with Witten for over a decade and that is what the Cowboys coaches on offense want from a TE. We are a run 1st team, not the patriots.

What I'm asking you is why this formula that hasn't worked? Nothing worked cause the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal and we've not achieved that in 23 years, so let's go in a different direction. What you're saying is that our coach is stupid and stubborn, and that we need a new coach like 5 years ago. I got it

 

[Dre11]

1) Assuming there is nothing to the Gregory rumor, our defensive ends, at least the top 3, look really good. Lawrence is Lawrence. Gregory was impressive. Charlton, not his best game, but other than the offsides, he didn't do anything noteworthy in terms of dumb play. Armstrong and Tapper didn't flash much, but those guys would be counted on as 4th and 5th DEs, and I can live with that.

2) Our outside CBs are legit. Both Awuzie and Jones have upper echelon skills and pairing them with Richard might pay off big time. In the slot, Lewis played decently and the best news is I never heard Brown's name, which is a good thing since he likes to pick up penalties. Ward made a few nice plays. Overall, the starting CBs should be great and depth should be decent.

3) I thought Looney held up well. It will be a different story in two weeks going against a really good Carolina front seven, but overall, he did nothing last night that made me worry. Williams seemed to play better last night as well but then again it's tough to tell with the mismatched OL.

4) The linebackers athleticism is certainly noticeable. Smith is so quick. He had a couple of plays that I thought he overran and the RB cut back for a decent gain, but overall with him, Thomas and then adding Lee and hopefully LVE, you have four guys that can move very well at the LB spot.

5) I was big on Scarborough but as others have noted correctly, Jackson seems like the better back now. Scarborough just looks to so and deliberate when he gets the ball. Now when he gets a head of steam going, he's a tough runner but at times it looked like he had an opportunity to get 3-4 yards by plowing ahead and kind of hesitated waiting for a hole to open up and he gained zero yards.

On the flipside...........

1) We really don't have a competent backup QB. White looked better than Rush but neither is ready to be a backup in a live NFL game. We might have one of the worst QB situations in the NFL from that perspective. Last night the Cardinals had Bradford, Glennon and Rosen. That depth dwarfs ours. I wonder what QBs might hit the waiver wire?

2) Gotta admit I am getting a bit nervous on Fleming. He's looked anywhere from poor to average. I thought he was a key signing but now I worry we may still have a swing tackle issue.

3) TE is a total wasteland and this front office botched that position IMO. In an offseason where they talked about getting Prescott as much help as they could, to give him this TE grouping is pretty sad. Gathers, with all his flaws, might be the best TE of the group and there was chatter he might not even make the 53.

4) S is another screw up by the front office. They had depth issues before they even went into August camp and let many of the, at least competent, names at S in FA run out and sign very friendly deals with other teams. I watched Jeron Johnson a bit last night and he was pretty bad. But that's to be expected when you sign a guy who hasn't played football in a year. Huff looked lost. Robinson? ehhh. Frazier being hurt is a pretty big deal and frankly, he's a limited S himself. This front office seems to pride itself on not panicking but guess what? It might be time to panic a bit.

5) I still worry about our DTs holding up in the run game. Woods has played decently and Crawford looked decent last night, but I worry about his size holding up over the course of a season. And what's behind Woods at the 1 Tech is really concerning. Price looks pretty bad. Ross? Yeah, no. Getting Collins back and getting a lot of reps should help (but they may play him again at the 1 Tech). Ward? Was he hurt last night? I think it's a shame that we finally have some playmakers at DE, LB and CB but that could be undone by poor choices at DT and S.

What Gregory rumor

 

[3rd_n_inches]

I am taking Cell Biology and Biochemistry. I am not learning too much because the semester started last Monday and we have been reviewing old material.

 

[Dre11]

losing Rich Bisaccia was a huge blow
possibly on the order of Callahan to Washington

Lol...Callahan hasn't done nothing in Washington...lol

 

[LittleD]

What I'm asking you is why this formula that hasn't worked? Nothing worked cause the Super Bowl is the ultimate goal and we've not achieved that in 23 years, so let's go in a different direction. What you're saying is that our coach is stupid and stubborn, and that we need a new coach like 5 years ago. I got it

It hasn't worked because we have never had great coaching and always lacked a solid defense to go with the offense Garrett is comfortable with
running. It's pretty much that simple. The Patriots win because they have had great coaching minds for years and Brady to run the offense. Their
defense played well enough to allow Brady to win loads of games. The Cowboys haven't had that for over a quarter century.

 

[Sydla]

What Gregory rumor

The LaCanfora tweet that something bad could be coming down the pike for Gregory. There is a thread on this page about it.

As of now, there is no corroboration on the tweet so it seems like this is just LaCanfora being the twit that he is and hence why I said "Assuming there is nothing to the Gregory rumor.........."

 

[Clove]

It hasn't worked because we have never had great coaching and always lacked a solid defense to go with the offense Garrett is comfortable with
running. It's pretty much that simple. The Patriots win because they have had great coaching minds for years and Brady to run the offense. Their
defense played well enough to allow Brady to win loads of games. The Cowboys haven't had that for over a quarter century.

Couldn't have said it any better.

 

[ConstantReboot]

No one wants to admit it but, Philly got one over on us on draft day by trading up in front of us for that Dallas guy. Never know for sure if we would have taken him but they knew we needed one and scooped him up. Witten did us no favors with his retirement timing.

Yes Im beginning to agree with you. I've been hating the meme thats coming out of the FO like " anyone can run behind this oline" or "we like the guys we have." They are nothing but excuses to coverup how badly they overrate their talent and believing that their tremendous coaching skills can make a difference.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

It’s kind of amazing how they have almost completely ignored the backup QB situation for years now.

I mean even in 2016 they got LUCKY that Dak turned out to be who he is. That season they had Kellen Moore and Dak as their back-ups. Odds were that Dak as a 4th rounder wasn’t going to be able to do anything.

That being said. I do think Mike White needs to stay on the roster to continue developing.

But they SHOULD HAVE signed a competent vet back-up and let Mike White stay the #3

I agree, and I would've thought that Jerry would have LEARNED after 2015, you NEED competent backup QBs if something happens to your starting QB. Otherwise, you get a whopping 1 win without your starting QB. Obviously, he hasn't learned. I agree that White needs to develop on the roster, and I also think we need a competent vet QB like maybe Clemens or Matt Moore.

 

[Redball Express]

The Top 3 priorities for this team (as I see it)

1. Safety - There is simply not enough back there................
2. Backup quarterback - Cooper Rush has regressed...............Really far
3. Tight End - Do we even have a true starting NFL tight end ?

To me..

TE is no crisis.

Witten has not been more than a safety value throw anymore..

love him but the truth hurts.

Blocking..I think we can get that done enough to not be a liability.

Zeke is going to get more balls thown to him to offset Witten gone..

and I like that.

Rest of the WRs will settle in with DAK.

They are going back to 2016 in their philosophy I think.

 

[RustyBourneHorse]

I enjoyed seeing Kris raging at the defense
would've like to see Garrett get animated with such a sloppy showing preseason or not
Lenoir has been the camp darling, I don't think people should expect him to be cut over failing miserably at a job he isn't going to be assigned to (returner - that will be Beasley, Tavon or Thompson I would bet) but he didn't help himself at all from what I saw
Joe Thomas I hope isn't on PEDs or something, that dude is an animal all the sudden and it's amazingly good for this team
looks like they were playing Taco at RDE on early downs
Frazier was balling before the shoulder dislocation, really like our SSs Heath & Fraizer -could love our FSs as well if it were Xavier and some other dude not on the team

Mmm, our linebackers are looking good, aren't they? I'm very pleased with what he have there.

 

[Redball Express]

I think they reached for Schultz and could have waited to draft a TE.
Probably will draft one next year regardless of what this group does.

I can see their reasoning by waiting to see what this group can do. I still say they are not as bad as people think.
But I bet it will be a whine fest all year long. Because we don't have a Gronk type TE to replace a slowed down Witten.

Agreed about Witten.

And Schultz may take a season or two to develop.

Swaim and the others have a couple of years on him.

There is going to be a big shift this year with Zeke getting Wittens passes and I like that idea.

Plus there is going to be alot of READ OPTIONS I believe for DAK as they attack the edges where they are not stacked for Zeke.

Its going to be a chess match for us.

We'll see.