Thoughts/Opinions about last night's loss - a year away?

[TheDude]

This team is now built the right way, they actually invested inside the trenches. Now it is about filling out the skilled positions, which are easier.

skill players cost more money

 

[StarLord]

Overall, it was exactly what you'd expect on the road against a playoff team.

I will say this, if we could play the NFC East at home throughout the playoffs, I know without a doubt we'd be in multiple Super Bowls.

 

[BoyzBlaster]

I don't buy this year away thing. Pickens has been the hands down offensive MVP on this team. But he's obviously a head case. Are you really going to tag him? Number 2 on the offensive MVP list is Javonte. Will Jerry also pay him? Plus they have cap questions on the defensive side.
Not too mention your QB is a mortal lock to commit at least a couple of bone headed mistakes when the pressure is on. I don't see what we are one year away from.

 

[Bobhaze]

My thought is we could be a year away. But it will primarily depend on what kind of off-season we have.

Honestly, we have been depending on having some post trade deadline miracle similar to the 2018 post Amari Cooper trade. Completely retooling your defense at midseason and expecting that to turn you into a team capable of winning 8 straight? That requires a miracle.

In short, team success in the NFL requires having a great off-season. The last two off-seasons were two of the worst in the last 30 years.

Will 2026 be the year we return to the playoffs? I say it will depend on the quality of the next off-season.

 

[Gonzomandela01]

Ferg and Pickens fumbled while trying to gain more yards against three men tackles, that is just dumb undisciplined football.
Thomas was on an Island with Hutch giving Dak flashbacks to the Atlanta game of 8 sacks.
FG after FG like this was just another reg season game, no fire, urgency.

All that is on Schotty.

Don't even get me started on Flus.

 

[baltcowboy]

I have no idea why you are so against keeping Kenny Clark, he is a very good player, he was the best out of the three last night.

I just think he is a JAG. We need his money to bring in some “dogs”. He has been average at best for us. We still couldn’t stop the run or rush the passer with Clark on the field. Still had a record breaking bad defense. Don’t get me wrong he is solid but we need studs who get his salary slot not average pay. We just paid two average players in Bland/Ferguson. We don’t need to make the same mistake over and over again.

 

[ICP]

I'm not one who thinks the cap doesn't matter but Dallas can easily get to about $85 million is cap space. Think they need to mortgage the future for a 2 year run.

Yeah, like I said the cap can be manipulated but this looked like a team with alot of huge holes last night. Pickens demeanor and lack of energy on the field was particularly worrisome.

 

[ICP]

Pay zero attention to that cap number, they can free up over 100 million if they want to. Yes, Eberflus might not be the answer, but the unit definitely has improved after some players returned. Add a few more pieces and they should at least be league average.

A year away from being avarage, yeah that sounds about right

 

[john van brocklin]

Offense

-another slow start finally caught up to them. You cannot spot a good team a huge lead and expect to come all the way back.
-Very strange game from George Pickens, he seemed out of it all night, looked like he was playing half speed
-Rough night for Ferguson, fumble, huge penalty and that terrible call against him late
-Both Tackles had their struggles in pass protection, also Williams misses some blocks

Defense

-we all saw the stats, when they blitzed they generated pressure, when they didn't they struggled. As I said in the lead up, if you don't move Goff off the spot, he can kill you, which he did. Eberflus has been stubborn all yr not blitzing enough. It is obvious, they need more pass rush off the edge, but the DC has to generate pressure if it isn't working.
-Really struggled covering Gibbs as a receiver, he is a tough matchup where they just don't have the personnel the matchup.
-Goff was having a field day, with those quick, underneath passes without much resistance.
-Both our starting corners had their struggles. Not worried so much about Revel as he is still very green, especially in zone coverage, but Bland continues to have up and down play.
-Why was Bell covering Williams late in the game, why was Bridges doing the same? What is the love affair with Murray playing so many snaps?
-In my opinion, don't think Eberflus is the right DC to move forward with, but fear they are going to stay with him for continuity.
-This game finally exposed the defensive weaknesses that they have to address: Edge, LB and Safety. Bland also needs to play more consistent.

Special Teams

-Both kickoff and punt coverage was terrible, gave up huge field position every time. Giving a good offense a short field is a recipe for disaster.
-63 yard FG is unreal, he and the Jaguars kicker are on another level

I am not so upset at the loss as I kind of felt that this team is 1 good offseason away from truly competing. They have clear holes to address personnel wise and have to figure out some things schematically. Why do they struggle so much with the scripted plays to start the game? Eberflus doesn't have the Tampa Bay front where you can rush four and expect to get consistent pressure. Will he be replaced? Will Jerry open up his wallet and actually sign an impact fa starter or two? Is the franchise tag coming for Pickens?

Do you trust this front office to have a good off season?
Last off season they pooped the bed upgrading the defense.
We will win nothing of note until we get a GM who has football acumen

 

[CrownCowboy]

If we keep Eberflus then next year is already a lost season. He has to go.

 

[Bobhaze]

If we keep Eberflus then next year is already a lost season. He has to go.

I’m not opposed to getting rid of Eberflus. But this defense needs a lot more than a new DC.

 

[SteveTheCowboy]

I saw a D playing well off the receivers AGAIN making it easy for Goff to carve up our secondary.

I saw no pressure on Goff and leaving the edges unguarded for easy catch and run screens.

I saw crap attempts at ARM TACKLES instead of wrapping up.

ALL OF THESE ARE ON EBERFLUSH.

I also saw a team that showed little or no effort on both sides of the ball.

THATS ON THE PLAYERS AND THE HC for poor planning and preparation. They’re pros and shouldn’t need high school motivation speeches from the coach to utilize proper skills they learned in high school.

I didn’t even drink my 1 bottle of Guinness because why waste that celebratory beer on what I was seeing? LOL.

And for those who keep pushing “we still have a chance” are you peeps insane or Jerrahl Jones alts?

And how many times have we all heard “ just wait until next year when we’ll REALLY be a Super Bowl contender!” and “we’re one season away!” LOL

Thinking they have a chance is like placing a pile of black chips on 2 craps, a one roll proposition bet. They lost every single “must win” game earlier in the season, including this one.

It was over a long time ago.

The. Season. Is. Over. That’s not negativity. That’s a fact.

And of course we know the buck really stops with the incompetent drunken PuppetMaster who needs to stick to things he’s good at - like his drilling. and his hookers (pun intended) - for the 30 years of drought and counting.
I can summarise him with the phrase “Alcohol, low standards, and poor decisions.”

It was fun.. until it wasn’t.

/end rant

Not sure I have ever seen a defense so consistantly bad. So many wide open receivers. Not afraid to make a tackle but looks like we don't know how.

It happens once in awhile but all the time? Has to be both coaching and players.

 

[Landryhat73]

Yeah, like I said the cap can be manipulated but this looked like a team with alot of huge holes last night. Pickens demeanor and lack of energy on the field was particularly worrisome.

Agree but I would rather go for it for a 2 year window and then pull a Tennessee.

 

[Cowboyny]

skill players cost more money

This is where the draft comes in.

 

[Cowboyny]

My thought is we could be a year away. But it will primarily depend on what kind of off-season we have.

Honestly, we have been depending on having some post trade deadline miracle similar to the 2018 post Amari Cooper trade. Completely retooling your defense at midseason and expecting that to turn you into a team capable of winning 8 straight? That requires a miracle.

In short, team success in the NFL requires having a great off-season. The last two off-seasons were two of the worst in the last 30 years.

Will 2026 be the year we return to the playoffs? I say it will depend on the quality of the next off-season.

Totally agree. It is up to management to finish the job and use all resources to do it.

 

[Cowboyny]

Do you trust this front office to have a good off season?
Last off season they pooped the bed upgrading the defense.
We will win nothing of note until we get a GM who has football acumen

History suggests they won't do much in fa. They were aggressive on the trade market. We just got to see what happens.

 

[Cowboyny]

I just think he is a JAG. We need his money to bring in some “dogs”. He has been average at best for us. We still couldn’t stop the run or rush the passer with Clark on the field. Still had a record breaking bad defense. Don’t get me wrong he is solid but we need studs who get his salary slot not average pay. We just paid two average players in Bland/Ferguson. We don’t need to make the same mistake over and over again.

He is far from a jag, Campbell went out of his way talking him up prior to the game.

 

[TexasHillbilly]

I saw a D playing well off the receivers AGAIN making it easy for Goff to carve up our secondary.

I saw no pressure on Goff and leaving the edges unguarded for easy catch and run screens.

I saw crap attempts at ARM TACKLES instead of wrapping up.

ALL OF THESE ARE ON EBERFLUSH.

I also saw a team that showed little or no effort on both sides of the ball.

THATS ON THE PLAYERS AND THE HC for poor planning and preparation. They’re pros and shouldn’t need high school motivation speeches from the coach to utilize proper skills they learned in high school.

I didn’t even drink my 1 bottle of Guinness because why waste that celebratory beer on what I was seeing? LOL.

And for those who keep pushing “we still have a chance” are you peeps insane or Jerrahl Jones alts?

And how many times have we all heard “ just wait until next year when we’ll REALLY be a Super Bowl contender!” and “we’re one season away!” LOL

Thinking they have a chance is like placing a pile of black chips on 2 craps, a one roll proposition bet. They lost every single “must win” game earlier in the season, including this one.

It was over a long time ago.

The. Season. Is. Over. That’s not negativity. That’s a fact.

And of course we know the buck really stops with the incompetent drunken PuppetMaster who needs to stick to things he’s good at - like his drilling. and his hookers (pun intended) - for the 30 years of drought and counting.
I can summarise him with the phrase “Alcohol, low standards, and poor decisions.”

It was fun.. until it wasn’t.

/end rant

the season still has 4 games, we just won't be in the playoffs. Shame, shame, what a shame.

 

[Miguelitomama]

Offense

-another slow start finally caught up to them. You cannot spot a good team a huge lead and expect to come all the way back.
-Very strange game from George Pickens, he seemed out of it all night, looked like he was playing half speed
-Rough night for Ferguson, fumble, huge penalty and that terrible call against him late
-Both Tackles had their struggles in pass protection, also Williams misses some blocks

Defense

-we all saw the stats, when they blitzed they generated pressure, when they didn't they struggled. As I said in the lead up, if you don't move Goff off the spot, he can kill you, which he did. Eberflus has been stubborn all yr not blitzing enough. It is obvious, they need more pass rush off the edge, but the DC has to generate pressure if it isn't working.
-Really struggled covering Gibbs as a receiver, he is a tough matchup where they just don't have the personnel the matchup.
-Goff was having a field day, with those quick, underneath passes without much resistance.
-Both our starting corners had their struggles. Not worried so much about Revel as he is still very green, especially in zone coverage, but Bland continues to have up and down play.
-Why was Bell covering Williams late in the game, why was Bridges doing the same? What is the love affair with Murray playing so many snaps?
-In my opinion, don't think Eberflus is the right DC to move forward with, but fear they are going to stay with him for continuity.
-This game finally exposed the defensive weaknesses that they have to address: Edge, LB and Safety. Bland also needs to play more consistent.

Special Teams

-Both kickoff and punt coverage was terrible, gave up huge field position every time. Giving a good offense a short field is a recipe for disaster.
-63 yard FG is unreal, he and the Jaguars kicker are on another level

I am not so upset at the loss as I kind of felt that this team is 1 good offseason away from truly competing. They have clear holes to address personnel wise and have to figure out some things schematically. Why do they struggle so much with the scripted plays to start the game? Eberflus doesn't have the Tampa Bay front where you can rush four and expect to get consistent pressure. Will he be replaced? Will Jerry open up his wallet and actually sign an impact fa starter or two? Is the franchise tag coming for Pickens?

Thank you for a sane analysis. We shot ourselves to death with stupid penalties and giving up enormous yardage on kick returns. For whatever reason, Eberflus decided not to keep the pressure dialed up that he used to start the game. I can't for the life of me understand that.

We failed to control the line of scrimmage, and Dak was sacked five times. He was under pressure constantly.

 

[john van brocklin]

History suggests they won't do much in fa. They were aggressive on the trade market. We just got to see what happens.

Well, until we get a GM that can make a positive difference, we will just hang around the rim and be relevant.
Wait, isn't that our GM's stated goal ?