We have clearly improved

[tomson75]

I thought Gurode was placed on PUP and could not play the first 8 weeks ?
If I am wrong my apologies..

Not saying Davis and Columbo were quality , but we have a Rookie right tackle with no OTA,s and who is our right guard ? Oft injured M. Holland ?

That's a lot of question marks for the Offensive line in my opinion.
Could be wrong, would not be the first time and wont be the last.

Well..I think you're absolutely right to be worried about RG. I'm liking what I hear about this Arkin guy, but he's been playing behind Kosier so far in camp for whatever reason. Holland doesn't do much for me.

RT is a little less dubious IMO. While the reports out of camp haven't been too glowing for Smith, it's just hard to believe that a guy of his ability and his potential can't get it together enough to be at the very least solid at RT. Purely speculation.....but I'm hoping a guy we drafted 9th overall with the ability to play LT in the future will be able to play RT immediately.

Gurode, should be fine barring aggravation and assuming he's taken off the PUP before the first deadline.

 

[ScipioCowboy]

-No depth at the offensive line, rookie at RT, questions at RG.

The Cowboys' depth along the offensive line isn't substantially worse than anyone else's, in my opinion. That's the nature of the league now.

-Maybe the worst starting MLB in football, Brooking, is back.

Hyperbole.

-Safety?
-No upgrades at CB. Missed out on top FA CBs.

There are definitely two gaping holes at safety.

-No depth at receiver.

The Cowboys actually have excellent depth at the offensive skill positions--Bennett, Phillips, Choice, and Kitna. Ogletree has played well in the past, and the Cowboys aren't exactly known for flooding the field with wide receivers. They use a bevy of two tight end sets, however.

-Can Felix play at 16 games? Can Tashard be effective in short yardage?

The Cowboys' short yardage woes stemmed from poor blocking on the right side of the line.

-Gurode hurt, Brooking hurt, B. Carter hurt, Tashard hurt.
-The rest of the NFC East has improved

That's the typical list of training camp nicks and bruises.

 

[Da Hammer]

According to the OP i don't think this team has a weakness. Offensive line is still average at best and so is the DL. Average point of attack leads to mediocre play. Not to forget the secondary is still putrid at this point till any needs are filled. This is a 8-8 at best at the moment. Romo and his targets are going to have to light it up for that to happen.

 

[CliffnDallas]

7-9 would be a small miracle. With the pass pressure on Romo and no running game, actually thinking we could be in the Luck sweepstakes 4-12?

You are in luck! They sell rope AND trees at Home Depot.

 

[treykin32]

Yeah, I'm a little puzzled over all of the pessimism I've been reading on the board as well. I agree that we've already clearly improved over last year, and even last season I don't think our problem was lack of talent, but rather our system and identity (as Jason Garrett demonstrated almost as soon as he toojk over and turned us around).

I have very little doubt that if Romo stayed healthy and Garrett was our coach over the entire season that we would have made the playoffs. Barring some other catastrophic event like what happened with Romo last season, I think we have a very good chance of going deep into the playoffs this season....maybe even beyond.

:signmast: :bravo:

 

[Ultra Warrior]

So, we were 5-3, almost 6-2, under Garrett, we have all these improvements, plus an easier schedule. Seems to me like big improvement, not another 6-10 season.

The only problem is that other teams in the NFC East have IMPROVED as well.

 

[NinePointOh]

Eagles' "Super Bowl" offseason --

QB: Lost backup Kolb and added backup Young. A wash, or a downgrade if the Cardinals are right.
RB: Downgraded. Lost their #2 RB and All-Pro starting FB, replacing them with 5th and 7th round rookies
WR: Downgraded, for now. Star WR Desean Jackson is holding out
TE: No change. Re-signed Celek and stayed pat.
OL: A wash? Lost 3 key contributors (including one starter and one former starter) and replaced them with rookie Danny Watkins and a 6th round rookie.
DL: Probably upgraded, but with players who are old and far from sure things. Lost former some busts and added Babin (one-year wonder at 30?) and Jenkins (misses 6 games a year due to injury)
LB: Downgraded. Lost Bradley and Gaither, replacing them with a 4th round rookie.
CB: Upgraded. Piled on with Nnamdi and DRC.
S: Downgraded. Replaced starter Quentin Mikell with 2nd round rookie Jaiquawn Jarrett.

We're complaining about standing pat, but the Eagles are getting lauded for landing a high-priced corner they didn't really need despite downgrading at almost every other position so they could afford him.

 

[burmafrd]

Philthy has holes on O line and D line still. Have to replace a Safety as well. The LBs are not exactly stellar. Vick has played a whole season how often? Right now they also have Desean Jackson with a case of the serious pouts.

Skins are nothing.

Giants still have a questionable O line; and their D has not exactly been stellar either. Eli is a turnover machine.

Most of ethedj's points are at least arguably true. Smith is a rookie; but he is so much more physically talented then Colombo that even early in the season it will be a push at worst. By the end of the season he will be much better. Bigg was nothing at RG so its not hard to be at least as good there. Gurode will be fine by the end of camp. Rest of the line is solid. Backups are young but that is reality in todays NFL.

Our Skill player starters in total equal any other teams in the NFL. OR at worst close to it.

Bowen could give some pass rush but he was not good against the Run so push there with Kenyon overall. The Rat should be better - no offseason elbow surgery and Ryan will use him better. IGor is the same.

Spencer needs to show more; but Lee will by the end of the season be starting I beleive.

TNew needs to stay healthy; when he is he is a top 10 CB. Jenkins needs to get his head straight. OVerall push.

Safety is of course the BIG concern. But really we almost have to get better at FS since it would be hard to be worse.

 

[thechosen1n2]

:laugh2: @ original poster and all of you agreeing with him.

I dont agree with him abou every > than he pointed out, but this WILL NOT be a bad team.

 

[NinePointOh]

The only problem is that other teams in the NFC East have IMPROVED as well.

Huh? No they haven't, unless you're afraid of Stephen Bowen and David Baas. I doubt Cowboys fans would consider ourselves improved if those were our biggest signings.

 

[DIAF]

This team is an 9-to-11 win team at the moment I think. It'd be tough to envision it as anything more.

 

[Wayne02]

I don't know what The Boys record will be this year, but I do know that they are the 3rd best team in the Division. Philly is far and away the better team at this point and NY is also ahead of the Boys. Until the The Boys make some significant moves, then they will be watching the playoffs again from the couch.

 

[Manster54]

Now, I understand why Philly is making such a big splash in free agency-they are scared of Dallas! They need help and fast.

Seriously, though-I think 9 wins is on the nosey.

 

[MRV52]

Now, I understand why Philly is making such a big splash in free agency-they are scared of Dallas! They need help and fast.

Seriously, though-I think 9 wins is on the nosey.

Thinking 8 to 9 wins is what we will finish with. Hopefully Jerry can pay off his credit card limit next year and free some room on it to land some quality FA.

 

[ejthedj]

According to the OP i don't think this team has a weakness. Offensive line is still average at best and so is the DL. Average point of attack leads to mediocre play. Not to forget the secondary is still putrid at this point till any needs are filled. This is a 8-8 at best at the moment. Romo and his targets are going to have to light it up for that to happen.

I never said we didn't have weaknesses. I even admitted we may be worse at WR and Dline. But we are definitely improved overall

 

[HoosierCowboy]

We were a 10 win team with proper head coaching and discipline. Also better defensive gameplanning. Seem to have everything fixed now on that front so I expect atleast 10 wins this season.

exactly

too many fans panicking for no reason

 

[burmafrd]

I don't know what The Boys record will be this year, but I do know that they are the 3rd best team in the Division. Philly is far and away the better team at this point and NY is also ahead of the Boys. Until the The Boys make some significant moves, then they will be watching the playoffs again from the couch.

ha. Really ha. Posts like this are amusing. We need to make a list of those who do and then around the end of Jan make a sticky

 

[wileedog]

exactly

too many fans panicking for no reason

I'm fine with the offense, even with some large question marks on the OL (mostly because I can't remember the last season this team had without large question marks on the OL), but the fact that last year this defense was one of the worst in franchise history, has added no new talent other than a rook LB and has added a DC with 3 playbooks to a group that usually needs things dumbed down for them is a pretty decent reason for just a little bit of panic.

If we go into the season with the secondary and DL in its current condition Romo better have a career year if we want to sniff 9 wins.

 

[ejthedj]

I'm fine with the offense, even with some large question marks on the OL (mostly because I can't remember the last season this team had without large question marks on the OL), but the fact that last year this defense was one of the worst in franchise history, has added no new talent other than a rook LB and has added a DC with 3 playbooks to a group that usually needs things dumbed down for them is a pretty decent reason for just a little bit of panic.

If we go into the season with the secondary and DL in its current condition Romo better have a career year if we want to sniff 9 wins.

And yet with that horrible D and without Romo, we went 5-3 and it shoulda been 6-2.

 

[Romo2Dez4six]

My opinion is Philly is making these Def. moves because they are worried about our Off. the DEs doesn't bother me the corners do though. that is a very good combo, but JW is still open.