We've waited for many years to see the Cowboys build the right way

[cowboy_ron]

It's a shame that it had to happen in a season where there may or may not be football.

 

[fivetwos]

I agree with your concerns, but MM will make a huge difference. As for LVE, I'd like to see them move on from him. Hate to say it, but he'll be out of the league in two years or less...

That plus this is probably Lee's last season, I wont go as nuts as many around here when Murray is the pick at 17.

 

[Adreme]

The thing is though most great defenses in the NFL over the past decade were built focusing on the secondary first and just getting some cheap run stuffers for the DLine. The secondary has become more important than the front 7 just because of how the modern NFL has played out.

 

[CowboyRoy]

same GM you do realize this dont you?

Im all for positivity and a bright outlook but bringing in a few aged VEt DTs , a S most say isnt great, ids he better then heath?, letting go of BJ, and his replacements at the money are Brown?Canady? backup S are?Gregory coming back replaces 11 sacks from Quinn?

The offense is the same minus cobb and Tfred those will be addressed in the draft and hopefully also a S, wr, and DE..

at this point its on paper it feels different but is it? I mean Bennett and Quinn were nice additions last year as was Cobb, teams predicters had us competing for a SB..8-8

I like these moves but not willing to say its reversal of philosophy..not yet..they are filling holes but wont know if they are great moves until say November 2020...the right way is an opinion at this point..its not like they went out and made a blockbuster trade for Buckner and Adams and brought in a Logan Ryan/Slay to replace a hole at CB..

those moves would be the ones that would get me in the wow loo at those changes mood..

Its a fact he is better than Heath. As are the two big DT's we brought in. All full upgrades in talent. Albeit temporary fixes.

But what you should be more encouraged about is that the two positions that have been largely ignored by Garrett and his staff are the first things addressed.

Its kinda sad that this is where we are, but baby steps are important after the horrid Garrett and his coaching staff.

Obviously Jones listens to his coaches. Just sucks when he is listening to jokes like Garrett and Marinelli.

 

[OmerV]

I never said we signed bottom of the barrel but if you think Jones wasn’t the best player on this defense because he didn’t get a few picks you may be in for a big surprise. The lack of respect he gets on this site is amazing. I’m not a Dak hater but you mentioned him as one of our best players? Lol, seriously? You just confirmed why I’ve said this roster is completely over rated by a lot of fans.

Of course Jones was one of the better players, but you seem to ignore that it isn't remotely unusual for NFL teams to determine they can't keep every player they would like to - you act as if it was a Jerry Jones thing rather than just being reality in the NFL. You also exaggerate what losing him means, as if the players we still have, or have re-signed, or have signed as free agents from other teams don't really matter in the whole of what has happened this offseason. .

 

[LACowboysFan1]

Man, I hope you’re right but I have a lot of questions and doubt until proven otherwise. For example, how will McCarthy do without one of the best QB’s to ever play the game? How has his coaching philosophy changed during his year off? How will the secondary be without Jones? How will LVE be, he was falling off before his injury. How will Smith be, he looked horrible at times. How will our new FA signings be, they’re past their prime and were let go for a reason. How will the pass rush be without Quinn?

Amazingly enough, the one thing I’m least worried about is what a lot of people are worried about, our center. I think Looney did a nice job when Fred was out in 2018 and will be better than Fred was last year.

Good points, let's not act like this team is absolutely loaded with talent, we do have some (in the interest of not getting back into the same old discussion, let's leave Dak out of this for the moment) but there are as you noted lots of ?. I do think this team can come together and be very good, but a lot of that depends on the pandemic, with new coaches and new key players, mini camps, camp and preseason is huge, will the team be able to have those?

The additions to the team so far imho are good, but hardly earth shaking.

McCoy is better than Collins, but marginally. Not a big improvement.

Ha Ha Dix is better than Heath by a fair amount. That's a big help.

Poe has something the Cowboys can use - power in the middle of the d-line, but he's inconsistent, will the inconsistency come at the worst possible time, i.e. having to win the final regular season game to get in the playoffs or in the SB? A lot depends on if the line coach can improve on that. But at this point, he's just a physically bigger player.

Bell is a needed third tight end, but he's only so-so, can't see him pushing Jarwin for the starter's job, let's hope he was gotten to help the blocking, which is needed. Small benefit at this time.

Canaday is a special teamer only, really. Now you need those, but there on the field a limited amount of time, marginal improvement.

Resigning guys like Brown bring continuity, but other than Cooper, none of them are really blue chip guys, don't see that keeping them makes much of a difference, if this was a SB team last year, then great, but it wasn't. Obviously they aren't that good (though we'll have to wait and see how much difference McCarthy, et al have, could be a lot, not discounting that possibility, but can they do a lot in one off season?).

I don't have a feel for how good this team will be at this point, too many uncertainties, the draft will help some there, but I seriously doubt more than 1 or 2 can become starters this year, or provide a huge boost. I don't think we're looking to do worse, barring key injuries, but other than that it's still an open question to me...

 

[CowboyRoy]

I’m not declaring anything but I remain very skeptical after the past 20+ years and can’t get excited over a few FA signings. Just like last year, this roster is way over rated IMO and it’s almost as if some fans have never seen another team play.

Who overrated this team? I have been telling people for years how badly our DT's and Heath were.

This team was run by some bimbo named Jason Garrett and Merinelli. LOL

We now have REAL coaching and we are already seeing the affects of that on how those two positions are being addressed first off.

 

[kskboys]

They have been building this way since they drafted Tyron Smith what are we even talking about?

Not on D.

 

[aria]

I agree with your concerns, but MM will make a huge difference. As for LVE, I'd like to see them move on from him. Hate to say it, but he'll be out of the league in two years or less...

I hope you’re right buddy, I’ve tried to be optimistic about this team and have been let down year after year for over half my life, hopefully MM does make a difference but until proven otherwise I remain skeptical.

 

[aria]

Of course Jones was one of the better players, but you seem to ignore that it isn't remotely unusual for NFL teams to determine they can't keep every player they would like to - you act as if it was a Jerry Jones thing rather than just being reality in the NFL. You also exaggerate what losing him means, as if the players we still have, or have re-signed, or have signed as free agents from other teams don't really matter in the whole of what has happened this offseason. .

I understand every team loses players, I also understand our secondary was questionable to begin with and we just let the best player in that secondary walk and have done nothing to address it. Even if we do address it in the draft, there is usually a steep learning curve and adjustment period for that position as compared to say a running back. Please explain to me how I’m exaggerating Jones loss when he was arguably our best defensive player and we don’t have a replacement that’s even close to as good.

Yes, we addressed the interior O line with aging players that well may be past their prime and we also lost our best pass rusher. Forgive me for not getting as excited as others about our off season.

 

[MyFairLady]

Our front office felt the need to give up a first round draft pick AND spend 20 million per year on an inconsistent WR. We also spent a 4th overall pick on an RB AND made him the highest paid RB in the NFL 2 years before his contract was up. Now we are going to make Dak the highest paid QB in football. We will be the same team we have been for 25 years. Plenty of shiny toys at the top. Thin and weak below.

 

[aria]

Good points, let's not act like this team is absolutely loaded with talent, we do have some (in the interest of not getting back into the same old discussion, let's leave Dak out of this for the moment) but there are as you noted lots of ?. I do think this team can come together and be very good, but a lot of that depends on the pandemic, with new coaches and new key players, mini camps, camp and preseason is huge, will the team be able to have those?

The additions to the team so far imho are good, but hardly earth shaking.

McCoy is better than Collins, but marginally. Not a big improvement.

Ha Ha Dix is better than Heath by a fair amount. That's a big help.

Poe has something the Cowboys can use - power in the middle of the d-line, but he's inconsistent, will the inconsistency come at the worst possible time, i.e. having to win the final regular season game to get in the playoffs or in the SB? A lot depends on if the line coach can improve on that. But at this point, he's just a physically bigger player.

Bell is a needed third tight end, but he's only so-so, can't see him pushing Jarwin for the starter's job, let's hope he was gotten to help the blocking, which is needed. Small benefit at this time.

Canaday is a special teamer only, really. Now you need those, but there on the field a limited amount of time, marginal improvement.

Resigning guys like Brown bring continuity, but other than Cooper, none of them are really blue chip guys, don't see that keeping them makes much of a difference, if this was a SB team last year, then great, but it wasn't. Obviously they aren't that good (though we'll have to wait and see how much difference McCarthy, et al have, could be a lot, not discounting that possibility, but can they do a lot in one off season?).

I don't have a feel for how good this team will be at this point, too many uncertainties, the draft will help some there, but I seriously doubt more than 1 or 2 can become starters this year, or provide a huge boost. I don't think we're looking to do worse, barring key injuries, but other than that it's still an open question to me...

Very nice and fair assessment!

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Jamize Olawale?

I'll bet McCarthy will use him unlike Garrett did.

Something went wrong there. They traded a 5th for him and went on to not use him. Personnel must've wanted him and Garrett probably didn't.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Our front office felt the need to give up a first round draft pick AND spend 20 million per year on an inconsistent WR. We also spent a 4th overall pick on an RB AND made him the highest paid RB in the NFL 2 years before his contract was up. Now we are going to make Dak the highest paid QB in football. We will be the same team we have been for 25 years. Plenty of shiny toys at the top. Thin and weak below.

As the team is currently constructed.......they are not weak anywhere. Some of these draft picks need to step up.

 

[OmerV]

I understand every team loses players, I also understand our secondary was questionable to begin with and we just let the best player in that secondary walk and have done nothing to address it. Even if we do address it in the draft, there is usually a steep learning curve and adjustment period for that position as compared to say a running back. Please explain to me how I’m exaggerating Jones loss when he was arguably our best defensive player and we don’t have a replacement that’s even close to as good.

Yes, we addressed the interior O line with aging players that well may be past their prime and we also lost our best pass rusher. Forgive me for not getting as excited as others about our off season.

We are barely over a week into free agency, and the draft hasn't happened yet. Plus, we have to remember that not only does every team lose quality players at times, they often do not replace them with players of the same quality. That's not how it works. Sometimes the make up is in fortifying the unit as whole - one positions takes a bit of a hit, while another gets a boost.

As for players we signed that are aging, even if they aren't at the very pinnacle of their careers, they can still be high quality players and provide a considerable upgrade over what we have had. It doesn't make sense to think that age is a stand alone factor, and that simply by virtue of having reached a certain age they aren't worthwhile. There are a lot of players who are still very good once they reach 30 years old, plus most teams are filled with a mixture of youth and seasoned veterans, including the best teams, so why would that some how not work for the Cowboys as well? It just takes evaluating the individual players and the circumstances.

 

[MyFairLady]

As the team is currently constructed.......they are not weak anywhere. Some of these draft picks need to step up.

IMHO the offense is reasonably solid but we have spent all of our resources there so that makes sense. The vaunted O line however under performs lately and is injury prone with little quality depth.

The defense is scary. The DE position is how we like it at Cowboys central. One highly paid shiny stud with nothing else. The DT position is empty. Veteran cast offs and JAGS. The LB position is supposed to be a big strength but it has 3 players who are super questionable and nothing else. CB is not too bad. Safety is a joke and has been for years.

And don't get me started on special teams.

 

[DCCowboys11]

Lol, the Kool Aid is flowing as Jerry is counting his billions due to a few signings after letting his best players walk. Love it!

“ Letting his best players walk”? Who could that be? In my opinion none of the guys who left are irreplaceable. Most were “just a guy”. Byron Jones was good but not great and can certainly be replaced.

 

[ChuckA1]

Lol, the Kool Aid is flowing as Jerry is counting his billions due to a few signings after letting his best players walk. Love it!

What NFL owner isn't counting their billions?

 

[Whyjerry]

I’m not declaring anything but I remain very skeptical after the past 20+ years and can’t get excited over a few FA signings. Just like last year, this roster is way over rated IMO and it’s almost as if some fans have never seen another team play.

Lol. I love some Cowboys bashing. That said, while older, McCoy and Poe are astronomically better than Collins and Woods. Plus McCarthy is going to show everyone how pathetic Garrett is and was.

A good draft and working out the Dak deal and this team will contend. I am certain of this.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

IMHO the offense is reasonably solid but we have spent all of our resources there so that makes sense. The vaunted O line however under performs lately and is injury prone with little quality depth.

The defense is scary. The DE position is how we like it at Cowboys central. One highly paid shiny stud with nothing else. The DT position is empty. Veteran cast offs and JAGS. The LB position is supposed to be a big strength but it has 3 players who are super questionable and nothing else. CB is not too bad. Safety is a joke and has been for years.

And don't get me started on special teams.

Not concerned with special teams. You don't draft or sign guys for that anyway. You would have guys on your team that can play special teams.

I disagree about DT. You have solid players and solid leadership there. I'd like younger pieces but they are ok there. You got Lawrence at end....possibly a draft pick on the other end and/or Randy Gregory.

Woods and Ha Ha are solid starters. This team will go as far as the offense goes so I'm ready to see them live up to their potential.