We are better

[CowboysFaninHouston]

Many have different options....mine is that with MM not trying to push Dak's stats like KM did and being more consistent with play calling...along with keeping some key players, picking up a couple of great pieces and having a draft that filled needs....we're better.

Not a flashy long term looming draft or FA but that's what you expect from a team that went to second round of playoffs and a quarter away from NFCG.

Weaknesses were DT and run defense, CB, deep threat WR and depth at LB and we seem to have addressed those in FA and draft.

With that said I still think we could have drafted Terrence in second round and still get Schoonmaker in the third round. Our run game up the middle is iffy. With Smith at LG we are ok, Biadasz is not that strong. And LG depth is question mark. Knowing Smith will get injured and again the other Smith has to slide out.

OL depth is a worry.

 

[Ranching]

Are you talking about this play, Coach?

No, but that was a good one!

 

[Ranching]

Not a flashy long term looming draft or FA but that's what you expect from a team that went to second round of playoffs and a quarter away from NFCG.

Weaknesses were DT and run defense, CB, deep threat WR and depth at LB and we seem to have addressed those in FA and draft.

With that said I still think we could have drafted Terrence in second round and still get Schoonmaker in the third round. Our run game up the middle is iffy. With Smith at LG we are ok, Biadasz is not that strong. And LG depth is question mark. Knowing Smith will get injured and again the other Smith has to slide out.

OL depth is a worry.

Great and smart opinion. I respect fans like you.

 

[Ranching]

Yet he ignored the online our #1 problem.

He's bringing Zeke back as a LG....lol

 

[cowboys1732]

Yes, I don’t understand all the hand wringing. They addressed areas of need in the draft and with the addition of Gillmore and Cooks, we are better personnel wise in my opinion.

 

[Hardline]

We are better.
But so are the other three division rivals.

 

[Calvin2Tony2Emmitt2Julius]

Smith-Smith-Biadasz-Martin-Steele Starters

Edoka Farniok Ball-Waletzco Bench

Drafted Richards a couple of UDRfa WHERE IS OUR OFFENSIVE LINE A WORRY !!!!!

 

[DanA]

Smith-Smith-Biadasz-Martin-Steele Starters

Edoka Farniok Ball-Waletzco Bench

Drafted Richards a couple of UDRfa WHERE IS OUR OFFENSIVE LINE A WORRY !!!!!

Our offense line worry is the 8 games that Tyron Smith misses due to injury. That pulls Tyler Smith out to left tackle and we end up with Farniok? as the LG.

 

[Jake]

Many have different options....mine is that with MM not trying to push Dak's stats like KM did and being more consistent with play calling...along with keeping some key players, picking up a couple of great pieces and having a draft that filled needs....we're better.

The other 31 teams drafted players, too. Everyone thinks they are better today.

 

[plasticman]

I find it somewhat disturbing that this is the sixth time a Cowboy 1st round pick has the last name "Smith". I realize it is the most common name in the U.S. but six times in the past 60 drafts? That's a Smith every ten years and I know every tenth person in this country isn't a Smith, so what gives?

Two O-linemen, two D-linemen one RB and one CB.

Come to think of it, five of the six turned out to be some really great players and we traded the other one for the draft pick that got Ed Too Tall Jones.

More Smiths!

 

[Captain43Crash]

We’re better but still not good enough. Defense will have to do it.

With Dak, we need the defense to do it!

I loved 3 of our first 4 picks were defense.

I was hoping for a guard instead of the TE. We had the pick of any G in the whole draft and we passed! This TE better be a player!!!

 

[Streifenkarl]

The other 31 teams drafted players, too. Everyone thinks they are better today.

/End Thread.

LoL. This is a "wait and see" off season more than ever. If MM will be able to fit the pieces together, then this could be a very good team. (And no, 12 regular season wins don't mean... Uh, to hell with it, the homers won't understand anyway)

In my opinion the O Line still isn't what it should be, especially if (sorry, when) our starting LT takes his time off due to injury.

Dak will still be Dak with basically the same options to throw to. Lots of yards but performance in clutch situations? We'll see.

Rungame? That's a wild card so far. Still glad that Zeke is gone.

Stopping the rungame has been addressed, yes. I think this defence could be exceptional. They just can't break down at a certain point like last season. Consistency will be key.

CB is at least not worse than last season and they did stop a few very good QBs from scoring big against us. So I'm fine with that.

Kicker?


I still don't get the TE draft pick. Not really against it, just don't know what they will do with him yet. But of course MM does have some plan. I guess they'll play alot of 3TE sets which will suit Dak and his "I feel at home within ten yards" thing nicely. And some say the new guy is a great blocker, so maybe it will help our RBs. Who knows.

All in all nothing spectacular, all these "praise the FO" threads even before the Draft were coming in way too early. We will be a +500 team once again. The improvements will come through development more than from the additions this year. Mazi will help us alot though. Fine with me. At least they haven't weakened the team. But I think my "the season starts in January" approach will suit this next season nicely again.

 

[noshame]

Defense is a top 3.
Offense? who knows, my hope is it can remain viable, eliminate turnovers and drive killing 3rd down failures.

Unlike many of you I have ZERO faith in McCarthy.
The NFC east alone will not be the cakewalk this season.as it has been the last 2.
I'm hoping we face 2-3 top teams early so they won't have tape and tendencies on us.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Many have different options....mine is that with MM not trying to push Dak's stats like KM did and being more consistent with play calling...along with keeping some key players, picking up a couple of great pieces and having a draft that filled needs....we're better.

Spot on. The issue with KM is that under him the offense was predictable. He had options that varied the 'show' and kept reverting to what he saw as tried and tested hardly utilizing Turpin's speed (even TY was sparsely targetted) and not using Malik vrs 9ers even when it was evident that SF had no respect for the run game.

I suppose this predictability lends itself to the .....when its good we look like world beaters, HOWEVER, when it fails (or stalls) we just dont have the flexibility to change it up and function. Cooks, Schoonmaker and RonJones enhances varied options to the offense.

 

[CowboyoWales]

Not a flashy long term looming draft or FA but that's what you expect from a team that went to second round of playoffs and a quarter away from NFCG.

Weaknesses were DT and run defense, CB, deep threat WR and depth at LB and we seem to have addressed those in FA and draft.

With that said I still think we could have drafted Terrence in second round and still get Schoonmaker in the third round. Our run game up the middle is iffy. With Smith at LG we are ok, Biadasz is not that strong. And LG depth is question mark. Knowing Smith will get injured and again the other Smith has to slide out.

OL depth is a worry.

Yep, a draft to fix the weaknesses.

The Schoonmaker vrs Torrence argument will continue, though to give some understanding and support for the pick the FO obviously knew the consequence and so MUCH preferred what Schoon has to offer. The positivity is that they wanted Schoon and so drafted the PLAYER, not the position. They werent HOPING that he dropped to the 3rd, Strange and Kraft went before that pick and there's a distinct possibility we lost the player we wanted.

Conversely, if we picked Torrence that would of been purely on drafting the TACO (only natural fit available), there wasnt really a LG left. We must feel that Tyler, Farniok, Edoga can provide a similar/comparative short term solution.....then again we possibly expected taking a LG in the draft so wouldnt have signed RISNER (pre-draft), now we've been (self inflicted) wiped out it's conceivable that we always had or viewed Dalton as being the option in this eventuality.

 

[DCwarrior]

How many points did we score against the niners again. The Cowboys were frauds last year.

Although I think OP is rah rah guy, he’s not talking about last year. We are better looking this year.

 

[b0xZZ]

Philly widened the gap between them and us, we have collectively went backwards.

The thing that bothers me the most is that Dak showed everyone he is never going to win a championship, it's just never going to happen, the guy isn't good enough and can be a downright liability even. You don't reach for a defensive tackle or a tight end because you "need" those players when you have a Hendon Hooker or a Will Levis still on the DAMN BOARD!!! Maybe they don't pan out but you still have to try. You don't get those opportunities often when you are constantly picking 20-27.

Just a really bad draft and a decent free agency so IMO it's a wash. We are essentially the same team just a year older. Meanwhile Philly adds a Jalen Carter and a Nolan Smith to a stacked roster that has a QB good enough to win it all.

 

[MWH1967]

Mazi, Gilly, Cooks, Schoonmaker, Deuce.

 

[tyke1doe]

I don't know. We'll see come December.
But I'm not in a position to say definitively.
I'm concerned about our running back position.
I personally think Zeke will be back.
I don't know about our passing game, but it seems McCarthy wants to dial that back.
I think we'll be stronger on defense with the addition of Gilmore, a better Sam Williams and Mazi - if he's all the staff expects him to be.
Overcoming the Eagles will be tough, but that can be done with a tough team.
I wanna see tough vs. flashy.

 

[baltcowboy]

No doubt we are better especially on defense. The Cowboys drafted 3 front seven players that will probably get snaps at positions we are weak at. The offense will be different, I am going to have to see what their plan is for Duece and will they really run the 12 personnel as their base offense.