This team isn't in as bad of shape as you may think

[Dodger12]

No one was saying that last year. I guess all you guys calling for his head were just stupid then.

99% of the board last year was giving him kudos last year.

What's your point? That is what happens when someone is successful.....A lot of folks who don't like Garrett knew he was going to get extended after a 12 and 4 season with a playoff win. The problem is that folks are still slobbering over Garrett and he's had one winning season in 5 years. I guess what's really puzzling is if the "realists" can give kudos to Garrett and Jerry when things go well, why can't folks like you be critical when they are exposed?

 

[cml750]

What's your point? That is what happens when someone is successful.....A lot of folks who don't like Garrett knew he was going to get extended after a 12 and 4 season with a playoff win. The problem is that folks are still slobbering over Garrett and he's had one winning season in 5 years. I guess what's really puzzling is if the "realists" can give kudos to Garrett and Jerry when things go well, why can't folks like you be critical when they are exposed?

 

[big dog cowboy]

The problem is that folks are still slobbering over Garrett and he's had one winning season in 5 years.

He has also had one losing season in 5 years.

 

[CyberB0b]

We can win with these position groups:
OL
DL
TE
K
P

We cannot win with these position groups:
QB
CB
S
WR
RB

Undecided:
LB

This doesn't really match the title of your post. QB, CB, S, and WR that can produce are pretty rare in this league. Outside of LT and DE, 3 of those positions are some of the highest paid in the league, due to how rare they are.

 

[Dodger12]

He has also had one losing season in 5 years.

I know...I know. We have new barometers for success here in Dallas. Unless, of course, you're Wade Phillips where he was fired half way through his 1st losing season after coming off 3 straight winning seasons (ie: above .500....just wanted to make that clear what "winning" is since there seems to be some confusion here).

 

[jwitten82]

I know...I know. We have new barometers for success here in Dallas. Unless, of course, you're Wade Phillips where he was fired half way through his 1st losing season after coming off 3 straight winning seasons (ie: above .500....just wanted to make that clear what "winning" is since there seems to be some confusion here).

Wade is 10× the HC Garrett will ever be.

 

[sureletsrace]

This doesn't really match the title of your post. QB, CB, S, and WR that can produce are pretty rare in this league. Outside of LT and DE, 3 of those positions are some of the highest paid in the league, due to how rare they are.

Indeed. I was just trying to say that we're not a roster completely devoid of talent. That seems to be the sentiment that I'm seeing the most. I think there is a large amount of talent on this team. I think that the position groups that need upgrading are really only a player or two away. And these players we need don't have to be Pro Bowl caliber players.

We just need to fill these holes with role players via FA and the draft. QB will obviously be the hardest find. Other than that, I think we only need two top tier finds to make this team a serious contender. We have a lot of cap room this upcoming year and I'd bet we will see at least 2 big, team changing signings.

You have to remember that other teams have warts and weaknesses too.

 

[Satchel89]

I disagree a little bit about the receiver position. Bryant will be healthy next year and I think Beasley and Lucky have special skill sets that the Cowboys can use to their advantage. I know Cole has had a couple of fumbles and drops but he's the one guy that misses Romo the most. But I would be fine with finding an upgrade over Williams. I just think they could find a better number 2 receiver. That's just me. We have all seen enough of Street. Bye. I don't know what they have in Butler. Maybe he's good in the last couple of games. It's not been a great year for the receivers but they haven't had much help from the Quarterbacks either

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

We should all know this fact by now. You cannot have a 53 man roster full of great players. You are going to have to cut corners and make sacrifices. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the current roster, and somewhat rightfully so. However, I don't think there is as much doom and gloom as some people feel.

Whenever I'm looking at team needs and the draft, I try to break the current roster down into two categories, position group by position group: either this position group is good enough to win with, or this position group is not good enough to win with.

Here is how it stands currently in my opinion:

We can win with these position groups:
OL
DL
TE
K
P

We cannot win with these position groups:
QB
CB
S
WR
RB

Undecided:
LB

OL- Very Good. Chaz Green has looked good in practices and would've been drafted higher had her not been injured. I think he can take RT next year. Collins has played very well for a rookie and should only improve year two. The other 3 were voted to the Pro Bowl and don't need any explanation.

DL- This could possibly change depending on Hardy, though I think we could win even without him. Irving has looked like a real steal thus far and could tame the 1-Tech spot next year from Hayden. T. Crawford has been injured and literally playing with one arm. Gregory has shown flashes, but was injured. I think he needs another training camp to gain strength and settle in. Jack Crawford is not a JAG. He's actually been very productive as a rotational player. Lawrence has been much better for the second half of this season.

TE- We do not need to put any more resources into this position. One, you don't need elite TEs to win games. Two, I think Escobar will be a decent TE if and when Witten ever retires.

K- Bailey is the man.

P- Don't need an elite punter, and Chris Jones has been pretty good. Very serviceable.

QB- We cannot rely on Romo to last 19 games. We need a backup, preferably one that is being groomed to take over for Romo in a couple years if he lasts that long.

CB- We have a good CB in Scandrick, and a serviceable player in Claiborne. Carr needs to go. I liked Tyler Patmon, but he's gone. We definitely need two CB additions in the offseason, preferably one in FA and one in the draft. I'm still liking Byron Jones more as a FS, but if he stays at CB, then we will need a Safety.

S- Dependent on Byron Jones. I think he could be a very good FS. I do not like the traditional idea of a SS and a FS. Give me two CB/FS hybrids back there that take good angles and can make plays on the ball. I still have some hope in Heath, but would not bet on it.

WR- We have one good WR. Dez. Beasley is serviceable as a slot WR. Brice Butler is a good depth player. Terrence Williams is only good when Romo is on point, just like Laurent Robinson. We need a #2 WR to play opposite Dez that can punish teams in single coverage consistently. Preferably someone with some serious deep speed. I think we need one WR to take Williams role away from him. Maybe that's Butler, but it's too early to know that yet.

RB- I know McFadden has had a very productive year for us given the debacle that was Randle starting several games this season. I think McFadden would have had an even better year had Romo and Dez played 16 games. I simply don't trust him to stay healthy though. Even if he does, we need a RB that can get us tough yards and punish defenders. Someone with power. This is vital to maintaining a high time of possession. We need a power back to complement McFadden. Dunbar was electric before he got injured. I see no reason he can't come back as good as he was.

LB- This is the most volatile position group on the team, and I just can't put it into a category. Sean Lee is one of the best LBs in the NFL. He just can't stay healthy. Rolando McClain is one if the best LBs in the NFL when his head is right. When his head gets off track, he gains weight, loses his passion for the game, gets lazy, gets suspended, retires, etc. With these guys healthy and right, they're more than good enough to win with. I like Anthony Hitchens and think he's good enough to win with. Gachkar is good depth. Ultimately, I think we need another LB to count on.

This is my take on it. What do you think?

Sean Lee is fragile (an italian word) and overrated.
Otherwise, thanks for the rundown. And I guess 4-12 will just be an illusion.

 

[sureletsrace]

Sean Lee is fragile (an italian word) and overrated.
Otherwise, thanks for the rundown. And I guess 4-12 will just be an illusion.

I think the correct pronunciation is "frah-zheel", correct?

 

[cowboys1981]

Absolutely!

Really makes me wonder what our record would have been with a healthy Dez and Romo.

I'd say 10-4. Too lazy to duck

 

[KJJ]

Absolutely!

Really makes me wonder what our record would have been with a healthy Dez and Romo.

Prior to the season I picked 9 wins. I didn't feel the team would be as good this season as last year because I felt the loss of Murray would put Romo back in a position where he was having to do too much and carry the team. I said his INT's would go up and in less than 4 games he had 7 INT's on pace to surpass his career high of 19. What we saw on opening day vs the Giants was very similar to what we saw during the 8-8 seasons where Romo was having to carry the team. He attempted 45 passes in the opener which was more than in any game last season. It's clear by how poorly the offense has performed this season during Romo's absence that the Cowboys are a QB dependent team.

As for Dez I questioned during the offseason after he signed his contract whether he would have a good season. He held out of some OTA workouts due to his contract and missed some practices in camp due to an injury that caused the Cowboys to hold him out of preseason. Even prior to his injury he didn't look that good in the opener. He hasn't looked focused all season and now that he has his money it makes you wonder if we've seen the best of him. Jerry might be having some second thoughts about resigning him because he still hasn't matured and he's having the worst season of his career. He certainly hasn't lived up to his contract this season.

 

[dallasdave]

We should all know this fact by now. You cannot have a 53 man roster full of great players. You are going to have to cut corners and make sacrifices. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the current roster, and somewhat rightfully so. However, I don't think there is as much doom and gloom as some people feel.

Whenever I'm looking at team needs and the draft, I try to break the current roster down into two categories, position group by position group: either this position group is good enough to win with, or this position group is not good enough to win with.

Here is how it stands currently in my opinion:

We can win with these position groups:
OL
DL
TE
K
P

We cannot win with these position groups:
QB
CB
S
WR
RB

Undecided:
LB

OL- Very Good. Chaz Green has looked good in practices and would've been drafted higher had her not been injured. I think he can take RT next year. Collins has played very well for a rookie and should only improve year two. The other 3 were voted to the Pro Bowl and don't need any explanation.

DL- This could possibly change depending on Hardy, though I think we could win even without him. Irving has looked like a real steal thus far and could tame the 1-Tech spot next year from Hayden. T. Crawford has been injured and literally playing with one arm. Gregory has shown flashes, but was injured. I think he needs another training camp to gain strength and settle in. Jack Crawford is not a JAG. He's actually been very productive as a rotational player. Lawrence has been much better for the second half of this season.

TE- We do not need to put any more resources into this position. One, you don't need elite TEs to win games. Two, I think Escobar will be a decent TE if and when Witten ever retires.

K- Bailey is the man.

P- Don't need an elite punter, and Chris Jones has been pretty good. Very serviceable.

QB- We cannot rely on Romo to last 19 games. We need a backup, preferably one that is being groomed to take over for Romo in a couple years if he lasts that long.

CB- We have a good CB in Scandrick, and a serviceable player in Claiborne. Carr needs to go. I liked Tyler Patmon, but he's gone. We definitely need two CB additions in the offseason, preferably one in FA and one in the draft. I'm still liking Byron Jones more as a FS, but if he stays at CB, then we will need a Safety.

S- Dependent on Byron Jones. I think he could be a very good FS. I do not like the traditional idea of a SS and a FS. Give me two CB/FS hybrids back there that take good angles and can make plays on the ball. I still have some hope in Heath, but would not bet on it.

WR- We have one good WR. Dez. Beasley is serviceable as a slot WR. Brice Butler is a good depth player. Terrence Williams is only good when Romo is on point, just like Laurent Robinson. We need a #2 WR to play opposite Dez that can punish teams in single coverage consistently. Preferably someone with some serious deep speed. I think we need one WR to take Williams role away from him. Maybe that's Butler, but it's too early to know that yet.

RB- I know McFadden has had a very productive year for us given the debacle that was Randle starting several games this season. I think McFadden would have had an even better year had Romo and Dez played 16 games. I simply don't trust him to stay healthy though. Even if he does, we need a RB that can get us tough yards and punish defenders. Someone with power. This is vital to maintaining a high time of possession. We need a power back to complement McFadden. Dunbar was electric before he got injured. I see no reason he can't come back as good as he was.

LB- This is the most volatile position group on the team, and I just can't put it into a category. Sean Lee is one of the best LBs in the NFL. He just can't stay healthy. Rolando McClain is one if the best LBs in the NFL when his head is right. When his head gets off track, he gains weight, loses his passion for the game, gets lazy, gets suspended, retires, etc. With these guys healthy and right, they're more than good enough to win with. I like Anthony Hitchens and think he's good enough to win with. Gachkar is good depth. Ultimately, I think we need another LB to count on.

This is my take on it. What do you think?

Good write up --- Think Dallas needs a top RB in the draft like Elliot or Henry. This will allow Dallas to control the game like they did last year and wear down defenses. Also it will help keep Romo alive.

 

[GimmeTheBall!]

I think the correct pronunciation is "frah-zheel", correct?

frah-GEE-leh to signify major awards and stuff

 

[sureletsrace]

frah-GEE-leh to signify major awards and stuff

I really need to work on my EYE-tal-yin.

~sighs~

 

[deanr]

As long as we have that clapping red headed robot at HC we're in trouble.

Haha I agree, plus he used to spit a lot maybe it's because he does not have a lot to spit about

 

[KJJ]

Haha I agree, plus he used to spit a lot maybe it's because he does not have a lot to spit about

He probably stop spitting because he was forgetting to move his headset out of the way and kept spitting on it.

 

[deanr]

We should all know this fact by now. You cannot have a 53 man roster full of great players. You are going to have to cut corners and make sacrifices. There is a lot of negativity surrounding the current roster, and somewhat rightfully so. However, I don't think there is as much doom and gloom as some people feel.

Whenever I'm looking at team needs and the draft, I try to break the current roster down into two categories, position group by position group: either this position group is good enough to win with, or this position group is not good enough to win with.

Here is how it stands currently in my opinion:

We can win with these position groups:
OL
DL
TE
K
P

We cannot win with these position groups:
QB
CB
S
WR
RB

Undecided:
LB

OL- Very Good. Chaz Green has looked good in practices and would've been drafted higher had her not been injured. I think he can take RT next year. Collins has played very well for a rookie and should only improve year two. The other 3 were voted to the Pro Bowl and don't need any explanation.

DL- This could possibly change depending on Hardy, though I think we could win even without him. Irving has looked like a real steal thus far and could tame the 1-Tech spot next year from Hayden. T. Crawford has been injured and literally playing with one arm. Gregory has shown flashes, but was injured. I think he needs another training camp to gain strength and settle in. Jack Crawford is not a JAG. He's actually been very productive as a rotational player. Lawrence has been much better for the second half of this season.

TE- We do not need to put any more resources into this position. One, you don't need elite TEs to win games. Two, I think Escobar will be a decent TE if and when Witten ever retires.

K- Bailey is the man.

P- Don't need an elite punter, and Chris Jones has been pretty good. Very serviceable.

QB- We cannot rely on Romo to last 19 games. We need a backup, preferably one that is being groomed to take over for Romo in a couple years if he lasts that long.

CB- We have a good CB in Scandrick, and a serviceable player in Claiborne. Carr needs to go. I liked Tyler Patmon, but he's gone. We definitely need two CB additions in the offseason, preferably one in FA and one in the draft. I'm still liking Byron Jones more as a FS, but if he stays at CB, then we will need a Safety.

S- Dependent on Byron Jones. I think he could be a very good FS. I do not like the traditional idea of a SS and a FS. Give me two CB/FS hybrids back there that take good angles and can make plays on the ball. I still have some hope in Heath, but would not bet on it.

WR- We have one good WR. Dez. Beasley is serviceable as a slot WR. Brice Butler is a good depth player. Terrence Williams is only good when Romo is on point, just like Laurent Robinson. We need a #2 WR to play opposite Dez that can punish teams in single coverage consistently. Preferably someone with some serious deep speed. I think we need one WR to take Williams role away from him. Maybe that's Butler, but it's too early to know that yet.

RB- I know McFadden has had a very productive year for us given the debacle that was Randle starting several games this season. I think McFadden would have had an even better year had Romo and Dez played 16 games. I simply don't trust him to stay healthy though. Even if he does, we need a RB that can get us tough yards and punish defenders. Someone with power. This is vital to maintaining a high time of possession. We need a power back to complement McFadden. Dunbar was electric before he got injured. I see no reason he can't come back as good as he was.

LB- This is the most volatile position group on the team, and I just can't put it into a category. Sean Lee is one of the best LBs in the NFL. He just can't stay healthy. Rolando McClain is one if the best LBs in the NFL when his head is right. When his head gets off track, he gains weight, loses his passion for the game, gets lazy, gets suspended, retires, etc. With these guys healthy and right, they're more than good enough to win with. I like Anthony Hitchens and think he's good enough to win with. Gachkar is good depth. Ultimately, I think we need another LB to count on.

This is my take on it. What do you think?

I have to disagree with DL - we got nothing from the 1tech and the 3tech we got decent not great production from Hardy and Crawford, the ends got an improving Lawance and not much from Gregory
As for WR it's all about the QB and the coaches unfortunatly both were bad

 

[sureletsrace]

I have to disagree with DL - we got nothing from the 1tech and the 3tech we got decent not great production from Hardy and Crawford, the ends got an improving Lawance and not much from Gregory
As for WR it's all about the QB and the coaches unfortunatly both were bad

Irving has showed some promise at 1T in my opinion. I think he could take the starting job from Hayden. T Crawford has been playing injured. Hardy missed over a year's with of games, it should be no surprise he's taking some time to get back to full speed. Lawrence has been much better the 2nd half of the season. Gregory, well, I think it's a shame he got injured. I have faith in him for next year though.

All that being said, adding another DL would definitely not be a bad thing. I still want to see what this DL can do with a real presence at 1T. Someone who can command double teams to free up Crawford. In fact, I made a mock draft last night with us drafting a DL. It sure wouldn't hurt, and you really can never have enough good DL.

 

[birdwells1]

He has also had one losing season in 5 years.

Going 8-8 is kinda like scoring a 50 on a test when the passing mark is 70..