Upon further review in Denver

[Seven]

Good writeup. I said long before the season this defense is not champion level and may not even be playoff level unless the offense plays lights out. That was always Romo's charge and it is now Dak's - it is a LOT to ask of any QB, let alone a 2nd year one dealing with defensive adjustments on the other side.

How this multi-billion dollar franchise has let this defense to rot and fester for years is beyond me.

Simple really..................J.E.R.R.Y.

 

[OUCowboy]

• Dak was poor. I have no doubt he'll bounce back, but there are some disturbing trends. First, he needs to slow down on the "Romo impersonation" for now. He doesn't see the defense like Romo yet, and he doesn't need to be making umpteen changes at the line of scrimmage. He needs to trust the call like last year for the most part because his changes just aren't working. His throws are erratic and too often short of the sticks. He's not even looking downfield most of the time at all, and he's not comfortable throwing from the pocket still. More plays to get him outside. I'd also like to see him scramble more so long as he slides or gets out of bounds. He's simply trying to be a QB that he's not ready to be yet. Simplify things, and focus on what he's good at.

What is your impression of how Linehan and Garrett are handling Dak? Do you think they are trying to push and make him into the type of QB they want, rather than letting him develop properly and do the things he is good at? If so, do you think he is capable of becoming that QB?

I ask because I am honestly curious about what is going on and figured it would be best to ask someone who knows a lot more about football than I do.

And I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of the game.

 

[Sydla]

It would help Lee.

Lee played poorly all on his own. Stop blaming Smith for Lee's issues in the last game.

And Hitchens is nothing more than a situational, back up type LB.

 

[Clove]

If this QB trend continues, we need competition for Dak next year, and those are just facts. We can't afford to waste another 10 years on a person who isn't equip to handling the likes of the Garrett offense, bad oline play, and bad defense. We need someone who can overcome all of that.
I still believe in Dak, but I'm just not someone who's into wasting time. He needs to get in practice, and start attacking one on one coverage, no matter what. F the interceptions, let it rip because next year, you can clean up the INTs a little more. I think you guys know my record with QBs, I have little patience.

Instead of trying to read the defense, etc, just go with the play and determine who you think will be in one on one coverage. That should be his focus right now.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

I agree Dez would missed if left. He is the most talented WR on the club by a mile.

As it relates Jordy Nelson, I’m not a subscriber that Jordy is just a product of Aaron Rodgers. When healthy, his production is Top 5.

Jordy wouldn't be a top 5 performer with Dak.

And Dez would be producing more than Nelson with Rodgers.

Dak is severely limited in using Dez. In fact he's showing himself to be severely limited this year generally. Only 2 games I'll agree... But people act like he has a big sample size period. He doesn't. So every game is illustrative.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

Dak didn't miss Dez against GB last year... so Dez is much of an impediment to how this offense functions. We force the ball to him to much. Similar to Romo, Dak worse numbers as a passer come when he is trying to get the ball to Dez. Can't run a route, can't create separation and has a nag for always dropping balls when things don't go his way.

Dez gets the low percentage balls that need to be thrown to keep defenses honest. He's the only one on the roster who can remotely bring those balls in. So if you just look at simple things like completion percentage then yes it better be higher throwing to Witten 5 yards down the field than to Dez 30 yards down field in a heave ho.

 

[Toruk_Makto]

You are doing the same thing though. This notion that Dak is this erratic QB is just you trying to play favorites with Dez.

We have a long track record showing what Dez can do when healthy.

For Dak we..... don't.

But by all means please lay out the case for Dak as a great long ball thrower. Or someone who reads the field well. How many times last year (and against the Giants this year) was Dez missed wide open after turning a corner around? The all 22 doesn't lie.

 

[erod]

What is your impression of how Linehan and Garrett are handling Dak? Do you think they are trying to push and make him into the type of QB they want, rather than letting him develop properly and do the things he is good at? If so, do you think he is capable of becoming that QB?

I ask because I am honestly curious about what is going on and figured it would be best to ask someone who knows a lot more about football than I do.

And I really enjoyed reading your breakdown of the game.

I think they spent the offseason anticipating that the league had a pretty good book on Dak. (Keep him in the pocket and make him throw from there, take away the short stuff over the middle, and tackle his dump-off routes.)

He worked on checking out of plays and make changes at the line of scrimmage like the top guys do. He's just not ready for that yet. I think he's overthrowing the ball, too, because he's throwing a lot of wobblers and sailing it over the receivers heads. Dez saved him on two interceptions on Sunday (although he caused one, too.)

I hope he just runs the play called like last year for the most part. The rest will come slowly over time hopefully.

 

[Proximo]

• Lastly, and this is a hard one, but there is no way on God's green earth that this is a Super Bowl team.

There is absolutely no reason to make these ridiculous declarations after the 2nd game of the season.

Right now this place is very very reminiscent of what 2014 was like right after week 1.

You probably said a whole bunch of dumb stuff after that game too.

 

[Sydla]

We have a long track record showing what Dez can do when healthy.

For Dak we..... don't.

But by all means please lay out the case for Dak as a great long ball thrower. Or someone who reads the field well. How many times last year (and against the Giants this year) was Dez missed wide open after turning a corner around? The all 22 doesn't lie.

Well for one, I am not sure Dez has been the same since getting hurt. That's been my contention for a year now. He seems to lack the consistent explosion he showed years ago. But that's another discussion.

Two, I am not making the case that Dak is some bizarrely accurate long ball or intermediate thrower, or "great long ball thrower" as you said. That would be an inaccurate position to take, just like someone, such as yourself, who basically wants to claim Prescott is some wildly inaccurate passer. He's not that either.

And we've seen some analysis of the All-22s. Guess what? There's been criticism of Dez in some of those analyses (as well as the for the coaches for not using Dez properly all the time). It's not been all roses and cupcakes for Dez and he's just being let down all the time by a crap QB.

So it's as I said. You want to chastise the Dak fans for being too extreme in their position and ripping Dez, but then turn around and basically do the same thing, get extreme with how bad Dak is to prop up Dez.

The reality is the truth lies in the middle. They are probably both to blame for whatever reasons those two can't get on the same page.

 

[Gameover]

If this QB trend continues, we need competition for Dak next year, and those are just facts. We can't afford to waste another 10 years on a person who isn't equip to handling the likes of the Garrett offense, bad oline play, and bad defense. We need someone who can overcome all of that.
I still believe in Dak, but I'm just not someone who's into wasting time. He needs to get in practice, and start attacking one on one coverage, no matter what. F the interceptions, let it rip because next year, you can clean up the INTs a little more. I think you guys know my record with QBs, I have little patience.

Instead of trying to read the defense, etc, just go with the play and determine who you think will be in one on one coverage. That should be his focus right now.

Please

 

[bodi]

He worked on checking out of plays and make changes at the line of scrimmage like the top guys do. He's just not ready for that yet

agreed

 

[Ken]

I love how people are cashing this season in after 2 games. Absolutely ridiculous...sure...you will likely be right that we won't make it to the super bowl...we haven't been there in 22 years and 30 other teams won't make it either. Really going out on a limb there....lol

I say lets see how this team grows...it has to be one of the 5 youngest in the league...lets just see instead of trying to to be the first to state the obvious.

 

[Miller]

Listening to Sturm now and interesting stuff. In 17 starts by Dak..doesn't include 5 min against Philly last game of yr...his worst statistical games have been last 3 on the road...Minny, NYG and Denver. Yes the teams are known for great Ds but offense is 5 for 38 on 3rd downs in those games. Passing stats were horrible in each. Question is then...why isn't an offense that is built on Oline and running the ball and saying "stop us" failing or not being used? Vance Joseph said straight out they planned to stop run. So are other teams looking at this? We invested a ton of money and picks into this plan. We beat Seattle on road in 2014 by jamming it at them. Why are we stopping this?

 

[darthseinfeld]

After a day of retrospection, and another watch of that horror movie....

• Let's take a big old deep breath. Tom Brady is 3-7 playing in that stratosphere, and the Broncos are the only team he has a losing record against. Denver simply always wins in Denver in September, except for once in the past 21 games. That was ugly, but just move on. Even if it revealed some serious flaws in this team, just turn the page.
  
• Dak was poor. I have no doubt he'll bounce back, but there are some disturbing trends. First, he needs to slow down on the "Romo impersonation" for now. He doesn't see the defense like Romo yet, and he doesn't need to be making umpteen changes at the line of scrimmage. He needs to trust the call like last year for the most part because his changes just aren't working. His throws are erratic and too often short of the sticks. He's not even looking downfield most of the time at all, and he's not comfortable throwing from the pocket still. More plays to get him outside. I'd also like to see him scramble more so long as he slides or gets out of bounds. He's simply trying to be a QB that he's not ready to be yet. Simplify things, and focus on what he's good at.
• Demarcus Lawrence has 4 sacks. Last year, it wasn't until mid-November that a DE had four sacks. That guy is killing it, and if his back holds together, he's head for a $50 million dollar deal or a franchise tag. Help is coming with Moore returning this week, and Irving soon.
• La'el Collins had a rough time with the best pass rusher in football, but it wasn't as bad as my first impressions. He battled, which is obviously in his DNA. Miller created conflict, but Dak held the ball too long on plays at times, and Miller was offsides multiple times. Overall, Collins held up as well or better than most do against this speed demon. It was not that bad at all.
• I'm really concerned about Jaylon Smith. His instincts are good, but he was really bad in pass coverage, playing way off guys, and he couldn't get to anything. Sean Lee was having to cover for him, and that made Lee look late and poor as well. They have to wrap that foot so tight that it's basically a stump, and the lateral movement and power is just gone. Jaylon was getting steamrolled backward. Let's just hope he'll heal and get better because this isn't going to get it done. Dallas needs Hitchens back in the worst way.
• Dez just isn't an elite receiver, and Linehan and Dak have to stop forcing him the ball. The completion rate is low and if he keeps drawing the top corners (Peterson this week?), he is going to be blanketed all game long. Accept that, and throw it to better options when he's covered. Romo could throw Dez open with perfect back-shoulder and high-point targets, but that isn't in Dak's bag just yet. Just treat him like another receiver and get more creative. As Aikman and many, many others have said repeatedly, he doesn't run good routes, or very many, and he doesn't get separation, so let's stop pretending he's like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins. He's not. He's a useful cog in the wheel, but he's not elite.
• Zeke.... That was not a pretty display, and I'm more concerned about the sulking on the sideline than anything. This guy needs to take inventory of where he is in this world asap, because it doesn't feel like his career is going to end well. He's chubby, a step slower, and disconnected from his reality right now. If anything, Dallas needs to use and abuse him this year because future years look less than promising. Get what we can out of him before he goes full Eddie Lacey or Randy Gregory. I don't see him here beyond his rookie contract unless some serious maturing takes place in multiple areas.
• Jeff Heath looks decent, but Byron Jones not so much. Perhaps Jones is just a slot corner, or maybe he's close to getting it, but so far, he's just not reacting quickly enough to make any plays. Better get ready because the league sees it, too.
• The defense as a whole is starting to smell bad. Let's hope the pass rushers on the way helps loads, and better health at corner happens soon. It just feels eerily familiar already.
• Jason Garrett needs to feel Jerry's impatience. I certainly do. I support Garrett because he manages and tolerates Jerry well, and he was the impetus for this youth movement. But all coaches' voices grow tiresome, and this is a get-it-done year for him. With that Hall of Fame under Jerry's belt, I suspect he is more comfortable paying a name coach now. He's growing damn tired of waiting.
• Lastly, and this is a hard one, but there is no way on God's green earth that this is a Super Bowl team. Atlanta will likely annihilate Dallas worse than Denver did, and the Broncos are a fringe playoff team at best. The defense needs work, and the offense needs to overcome what top defenses do to it. If the Giants had any semblance of an offensive line and a healthy Beckham, we'd be 0-2 right now. Can't sit on the sidelines next offseason. Fix the defense while Dak remains cheap. Unless an epic evolution takes place during the season on defense, this is just a stepping stone season.

Dak may have too much on his pallet right now. You cant give him the responsibilities you gave Romo. You cant even treat him like 2006/07 Romo because Romo sat 4 years before playing. He is a smart QB, but he is still very inexperienced and it needs to be a slower progression

 

[Gameover]

Dez just isn't an elite receiver, and Linehan and Dak have to stop forcing him the ball. The completion rate is low and if he keeps drawing the top corners (Peterson this week?), he is going to be blanketed all game long. Accept that, and throw it to better options when he's covered. Romo could throw Dez open with perfect back-shoulder and high-point targets, but that isn't in Dak's bag just yet. Just treat him like another receiver and get more creative. As Aikman and many, many others have said repeatedly, he doesn't run good routes, or very many, and he doesn't get separation, so let's stop pretending he's like Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, and DeAndre Hopkins. He's not. He's a useful cog in the wheel, but he's not elite.

My favorite part of your post. Straight truth dealt. Has great hands and you can put him up against anyone for contested balls but he has to be that due to the lack of separation.

This is why we need to play Butler more and see what Noah Brown can do.

We need Dez to get injured

 

[Gameover]

Listening to Sturm now and interesting stuff. In 17 starts by Dak..doesn't include 5 min against Philly last game of yr...his worst statistical games have been last 3 on the road...Minny, NYG and Denver. Yes the teams are known for great Ds but offense is 5 for 38 on 3rd downs in those games. Passing stats were horrible in each. Question is then...why isn't an offense that is built on Oline and running the ball and saying "stop us" failing or not being used? Vance Joseph said straight out they planned to stop run. So are other teams looking at this? We invested a ton of money and picks into this plan. We beat Seattle on road in 2014 by jamming it at them. Why are we stopping this?

We match up well with Seattle

Dez was targeted 10 times in that game he caught 4 passes for 63 yards. Sherman slipped on a play that allowed Dez to get a big gainer.

 

[Sydla]

Listening to Sturm now and interesting stuff. In 17 starts by Dak..doesn't include 5 min against Philly last game of yr...his worst statistical games have been last 3 on the road...Minny, NYG and Denver. Yes the teams are known for great Ds but offense is 5 for 38 on 3rd downs in those games. Passing stats were horrible in each. Question is then...why isn't an offense that is built on Oline and running the ball and saying "stop us" failing or not being used? Vance Joseph said straight out they planned to stop run. So are other teams looking at this? We invested a ton of money and picks into this plan. We beat Seattle on road in 2014 by jamming it at them. Why are we stopping this?

Yeah Sturm was pretty critical of everything, including the coaching staff.

 

[bodi]

forget Butler

lets see what Noah Brown can do

 

[Gameover]

Jordy wouldn't be a top 5 performer with Dak.

And Dez would be producing more than Nelson with Rodgers.

Dak is severely limited in using Dez. In fact he's showing himself to be severely limited this year generally. Only 2 games I'll agree... But people act like he has a big sample size period. He doesn't. So every game is illustrative.

Dak would do better with Jordy